Department for Transport

Department for Transport: EU Law

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's estimate is of the amount of EU legislation and regulation that can be incorporated into UK law without amendment.

Jesse Norman: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert European Union law into UK law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit. This will ensure that, wherever possible, the same rules and laws will apply the day after exit as they did before. The Government is still making a detailed assessment of what corrections will be required to make that law function appropriately on exit day. The Department for Exiting the European Union are working closely with departments across Government to ensure we make the changes required to deliver a functioning statute book on exit in the most efficient manner possible.

Government Car Service: Exhaust Emissions

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has given guidance to drivers in the Government Car Services on Westminster City Councils' initiative Don't Be Idle.

Mr John Hayes: Government Car Service drivers are given a clear instruction not to keep engines running whilst parked or stationary and regular reminders are sent out on this subject. This instruction would also cover the aims of Westminster City Councils’ initiative on cars idling, which the drivers have been made aware of.

Railways: Finance

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which new rail schemes to be jointly funded between Network Rail and the private sector his Department has assessed and analysed in the last 12 months.

Paul Maynard: We continue to explore all opportunities for private sector funding, including in rail schemes such as East West Rail and Crossrail 2.

Railways: Finance

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new projects or schemes Network Rail has agreed to in the last 12 months which are to be jointly funded with the private sector; and which those projects or schemes are.

Paul Maynard: We continue to explore all opportunities for private sector funding, including in rail schemes such as East West Rail and Crossrail 2.

Railways

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish the report it commissioned from First Class Partnerships on the commissioning of new rail services; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: The Department is not aware of any report commissioned from First Class Partnerships on this issue.

East Midlands Rail Franchise

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the equalities impact assessment carried out for the East Midlands Rail Franchise; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: I am currently not in a position to publish the equalities impact assessment. The equalities impact assessment will be considered alongside the development of the Invitation to Tender. As the public consultation closed on 11 October 2017, and the responses are being analysed, an equality impact assessment cannot be completed at this stage. I will be considering the equality impact assessment in due course once it has been prepared.

Traffic Lights

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on recent trials in Amsterdam of switching off traffic lights to improve traffic flows; and if he will consider introducing similar trials at selective intersections during off peak periods in UK cities.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport holds no information about such trials. The operation of traffic lights is a matter for local authorities. Part-time operation is already possible, and an authority would need to consider the possible impacts carefully, particularly on road safety and accessibility.

Home Office

Police: Standards

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions the police response has been delayed as a result of new build housing developments not being included in GPS navigation systems in each of the last three years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not collect this information centrally. It is the responsibility of each democratically accountable Police and Crime Commissioner with their Chief Constable to deploy resources appropriately to meet the needs of their local community.

Research: EU Nationals

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what representations she has received from universities and national academies on the potential effect of changes to freedom of movement on the UK's ability to attract and retain high quality researchers.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, whether it is her policy to extend visa entitlement to the spouses and dependents of EU academics who can work in the UK after the UK has left the EU.

Brandon Lewis: The Government recognises the valuable contribution migrants make to our society and we welcome those with the skills and expertise to make our country better still. But we must manage the process properly so that our immigration system serves the national interest. We have been clear that after the UK leaves the EU, free movement will end, but migration between the UK and the EU will continue and we are considering a number of options as to how this might work. We will be setting out initial proposals for our future immigration arrangements later in the year.  The Government recognises that it is important that we understand the impacts on the different sectors of the economy and the labour market and want to ensure that decisions on the long-term system are based on evidence. On July 2017, we commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on the economic and social impacts of the UK’s exit from the European Union and also on how the UK’s immigration system should be aligned with a modern industrial strategy- and they will be presenting their report in September 2018. The MAC has also issued a public call for evidence- where sectoral bodies including those in the science, academic and research sectors can formally make representations. This is open until 27 October 2017. Details can be found on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/call-for-evidence-and-briefing-note-eea-workers-in-the-uk-labour-market The Government will carefully consider any recommendations made to it by the MAC before finalising the details of the future immigration system for EU nationals. The Government also regularly engages with sectoral bodies – including those in the scientific and academic sectors ­- to ensure our immigration routes work effectively to enable businesses to access the talent they need. Their views do, and will continue to, inform our decisions on any changes to the system.

Schengen Agreement: ICT

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect of no longer having access to the second generation Schengen Information System on her Department's ability speedily to secure the arrest and extradition of suspects who flee to the EU.

Brandon Lewis: We are proposing an ambitious strategic agreement with the EU that provides a comprehensive framework for our future security, law enforcement and criminal justice cooperation that delivers the capabilities our operational partners need to keep our people safe. Our proposals are set out in “Security, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice – a future partnership paper” which was published on 18 September, available on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/security-law-enforcement-and-criminal-justice-a-future-partnership-paper. We are confident that all parties will recognise the value of continued, practical cooperation between the UK and EU on law enforcement and national security. However, a responsible government should prepare for all potential outcomes, including the unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached. That is exactly what we are doing across the whole of Government.

Asylum: Housing

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to revise the process for awarding contracts to private companies for the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers.

Brandon Lewis: All Home Office contracts are tendered in compliance with the EU Procurement Directives, which ensure that there is a transparent and equitable procurement process.The project that is putting in place contracts to replace the current suite of contracts from 2019, will be utilising the Competitive Procedure with Negotiation procedure. This allows the contracting authority the opportunity to negotiate with short-listed bidders in a structured manner before inviting final tenders.

Immigration: Appeals

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department collects on people whose appeal rights have been exhausted and then become missing.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office will hold relevant immigration history and biographical details on individuals with whom the department has had contact, either through an enforcement encounter, asylum claim, visa or immigration application. Should an individual become Appeal Rights Exhausted every effort is made to effect a return to their country of origin. If an individual absconds or goes missing, the Home Office will work with other agencies to locate the individual as quickly as possible. Through the Immigration Act 2016, we have made it more difficult for people to remain in the UK illegally by incentivising voluntary returns, introducing tougher penalties for illegal working and restricting illegal migrants’ access to services.

Retail Trade: Crime

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost of retail crime to (a) businesses, (b) local authorities and (c) the police in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office runs an annual Commercial Victimisation Survey (CVS) which asks business premises in different industry sectors about their experience of various crime types in the latest year. In order to keep the length of the survey, and hence the burden on respondents, to a minimum, businesses are only asked about the cost of the latest incident of each crime type experienced in the year. Therefore, it is not possible to provide an aggregate cost of overall crime to businesses in the retail sector. The Government recognises that retail crime has a direct cost to the businesses affected, as well as wider costs to the community and consumers. The Government maintains an ongoing dialogue with the sector, the police and other partners through the National Retail Crime Steering Group, to understand the nature of these crimes and what more can be done to tackle them. The Home Office does not collect data on the cost of retail crime to local authorities or to the police.

Immigration: Patients

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what requirements she has placed on the NHS to report on patients' immigration status.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office has not placed any requirements on the NHS to report on patients’ immigration status. As specified in the Immigration Rules, the Home Office may refuse an immigration application where the applicant has failed to pay an NHS debt of £500 or more in accordance with the relevant NHS regulations on charges to overseas visitors. The Department of Health has put in place arrangements through which the NHS notifies the Home Office of these debts.

International Assistance

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure its provision of overseas assistance is in accordance with the Government's human rights obligations.

Brandon Lewis: For overseas security and justice projects funded by Her Majesty’s Government, the Home Office conducts Overseas Security and Justice Assessments (OSJAs). These assessments are carried out to identify risks to human rights, and mitigations for those risks, in accordance with guidance published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/583304/OSJA_Guidance_2017.pdf.

Undocumented Migrants

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department collects on the nationality of people spot-checked by immigration officers and subsequently (a) arrested and (b) not arrested.

Brandon Lewis: The nationality of every individual arrested during immigration enforcement activity is recorded as part of their immigration records.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/powers-and-operational-procedureThe nationality of individuals spoken to or encountered but not arrested during deployments in public areas may or may not be recorded.

Undocumented Migrants

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to collect data on the ethnicity or race and religion of people recorded as encountered in immigration enforcement operations.

Brandon Lewis: The Government has no plans to routinely collect data on the ethnicity, race or religion of people encountered on Immigration Enforcement operations. This data is not recorded as it is not relevant to the determination of a person’s immigration status at that point.

UK Visas and Immigration: Correspondence

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of correspondence to UK Visas and Immigration was responded to within (a) 10 days, (b) 20 days, (c) 30 days and (d) in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of that correspondence received a response.

Brandon Lewis: Data on the number of correspondence to the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), which was responded to within 20 days is published quarterly as part of UKVI transparency data. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/customer-service-operations-data-august-2017 UKVI does not publish data in the 10 day and 30 day format requested.

Hate Crime: Internet

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to her Department's announcement of 8 October 2017 on a new national online hate crime hub, what the total expected operational budget is for that hub; how many specialist officers her Department plans to employ in that hub; and whether she plans to draw the funding for that hub from existing budgets.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office has allocated initial funding of £200,000 p.a. for the new national online hate crime hub, from existing Home Office budgets. The funding will cover three specialist officers and one specialist analyst / researcher.

Police Custody: Mental Illness

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish data on the number of people with a mental disorder removed to police stations under Section 135 or 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 for the period between 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office has collected information on the number of persons detained under section 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 since April 2015. Data on detentions under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983, covering the 2016/17 time period, and including the number of people who were detained in a police station, will be published in the next edition of the ‘Police powers and procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin. This bulletin is scheduled for release on Thursday 26th October, and will be available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales Data on the number of detentions under section 135 of the Mental Health Act 1983 will be published as ‘experimental statistics’ in the same bulletin, to acknowledge that further development work is needed on these data.

Police: Bureaucracy

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the time and resources required to apply her Department's new annual data requirement on recording each incident and each use of force; if she will publish the impact assessment made on that requirement; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The police-led Use of Force Data Review recommended that police forces record and publish a range of data each time force is used, including the reason force was used, injury data, the gender, ethnicity and age of the subject involved, and the location and outcome of the incident. These recommendations were welcomed by the former Home Secretary, and the former Minister for Policing and the Fire Service made a Written Ministerial Statement on 2 March 2017 announcing the implementation of the recommendations, with police forces expected to commence recording by 1 April this year. Police forces are committed to publishing their recorded data locally, and it is a subset of this data that will be provided to the Home Office under the annual data requirement, causing no additional burden to compliant forces. This system also consolidates bureaucratic, previous forms of data collection, such as the monitoring of conducted energy device use.

Emergency Services Network

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what changes have been made to the timetable for the roll-out of the Emergency Service network since it was agreed to; and if she will make a statement.

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions have taken place between key stakeholders in and suppliers for the roll-out of the Emergency Service Network on changes to the timetable for the implementation of that roll-out; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The new Emergency Services Network (ESN) will provide the dedicated teams who work so hard protecting the public and saving lives with the most advanced communications system of its kind anywhere in the world. ESN will be a more capable, more flexible and more affordable communications network than the existing Airwave mobile radio system used by the three emergency services in England, Scotland and Wales. While still delivering mission critical voice communication, it will also provide broadband data services. The timelines for ESN are ambitious and this is because we want to give the emergency services the benefits of the latest technology as soon as practicable. However the Government is clear that public safety is our priority and the emergency services will only transition when they are content with the new ESN service, as the existing Airwave system will continue until transition on to the ESN is completed. A formal arrangement has been agreed between the Programme’s sponsors (including the Home Office) of the police, fire and rescue, ambulance services of Great Britain, for how any Airwave extension costs beyond the planned National Shutdown Date (31 December 2019) should be shared between themselves. We are working closely with our key stakeholders and suppliers on a revised plan for delivering ESN. We will have greater clarity on timescales at the end of the year.

Human Trafficking: Nationality

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of people convicted of human trafficking offences were (a) UK nationals, (b) other EU nationals and (c) nationals from outside the EU in each of the last three years.

Sarah Newton: Data relating to the number of people prosecuted and convicted for modern slavery and human trafficking offences in England and Wales can be found in the “criminal justice system outcomes by offence” data tool table contained in the annual Criminal Justice Statistics publication, linked below.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2016 It is not possible to disaggregate this data by the nationality of defendants as this information is not held centrally.

Anti-slavery Task Force

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings of the anti-slavery task force there have been since that task force was established; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 18 October 2017.The correct answer should have been:

Data on the number of correspondence to the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), which was responded to within 20 days is published quarterly as part of UKVI transparency data. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/customer-service-operations-data-august-2017 UKVI does not publish data in the 10 day and 30 day format requested. The Prime Minister has held a number of meetings on modern slavery, including with the Task Force, to bring the collective weight of Government to bear against this terrible crime.

Brandon Lewis: Data on the number of correspondence to the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), which was responded to within 20 days is published quarterly as part of UKVI transparency data. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/customer-service-operations-data-august-2017 UKVI does not publish data in the 10 day and 30 day format requested. The Prime Minister has held a number of meetings on modern slavery, including with the Task Force, to bring the collective weight of Government to bear against this terrible crime.

Human Trafficking: Cairnryan Port

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have been trafficked into the UK through the Port of Cairnryan in each of the last three years.

Sarah Newton: Information is not held centrally on the specific location from which potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking are first identified. For Scotland as a whole, the number of potential victims first identified in Scotland and referred to the National Referral Mechanism (the support service provided to potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking) for the last three years are: YearTotal number of potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking first indentified in Scotland and referred to the National Referral Mechanism201615020151452014111

European Arrest Warrants

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether European Arrest Warrants for (a) non-UK EU suspects in the UK and (b) UK suspects in the EU would be operable on the day after the UK leaves the EU in the absence of an agreement on security co-operation.

Brandon Lewis: We are confident that continued, practical cooperation between the UK and EU on law enforcement and national security is in the interests of both sides, so we approach these negotiations anticipating success. We do not want or expect a no deal outcome.The details of the UK’s future relationship with the EU, including our participation in mechanisms such as the European Arrest Warrant, will be subject to negotiation.Public safety in the UK and the rest of Europe will be at the heart of our negotiations and we will address the issue of the European Arrest Warrant in that context.

Visas

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refunds were issued by her Department to visa applicants in each of the last 12 months.

Brandon Lewis: The data requested is not published by the Home Office.

Poisons

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many suspicious transactions, within the terms of the Poisons Act 1972 as amended, have been reported using the (a) national contact point, (b) the chemical.reporting@met.police.uk email address and (c) local 101 or 999 services in each of the last two years.

Sarah Newton: Since the implementation of EU regulation 98/2013 on the marketing and use of explosives precursors in 2014, which introduced the legal requirement for retailers to report suspicious transactions and is now implemented through the Poisons Act 1972, the Home Office has engaged with a wide range of retailers that supply both regulated and reportable explosive precursors and poisons.This ongoing work has resulted in suspicious transactions being reported to the police. Due to operational security, we are unable to provide exact details.

Welfare in Detention of Vulnerable Persons Review

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the terms of reference for Stephen Shaw's follow-up review of the welfare of vulnerable people in immigration detention centres.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the terms of reference for the follow-up review of welfare in immigration detention to be undertaken by Stephen Shaw will include the decision-making process and criteria for detention.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the review of welfare in immigration detention conducted by Stephen Shaw will include an assessment of the potential benefits of a time limit on detention.

Brandon Lewis: The follow up to the independent review by Stephen Shaw CBE into the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons started on 4 September 2017. The final report is a matter for Mr Shaw, but the findings of his earlier review included recommendations relating to the use of detention and legal safeguards against excessive use of detention.

Europe: Refugees

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of child refugees who are unaccompanied in each European country.

Brandon Lewis: According to Eurostat data, 63,300 unaccompanied children claimed asylum in the EU in 2016:http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8016696/3-11052017-AP-EN.pdf/30ca2206-0db9-4076-a681-e069a4bc5290.This includes a breakdown of asylum applications by EU Member State.

Knives: Sales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has of the potential merits of introducing a licensing system for online purchases of knives for certain trades.

Sarah Newton: We have no plans to introduce a licensing system for the online purchases of knives. We have published a consultation on new legislation on offensive and dangerous weapons, which includes proposals to prevent knives sold online being delivered to a private residential address, and ensuring instead they are collected in person at a place where age ID can be checked.

Knives: Sales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to meet knife manufacturers and suppliers in advance of the proposed changes to regulation of the sale of knives online.

Sarah Newton: I have no plans to meet specific knife manufacturers and suppliers in relation to the proposals outlined in the consultation launched on 14 October. We invite interested parties to provide their views to the consultation, which will be taken into account in our response. The consultation is available on gov.uk.

Knives: Sales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to issue consultation on the sale of knives online.

Sarah Newton: The consultation on proposed new legislation on offensive and dangerous weapons has been published on 14 October. The consultation is available in gov.uk.

Human Trafficking: Children

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role UK officials located at border points have in the early identification and safeguarding of trafficked children.

Brandon Lewis: Border Force has a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children entering the United Kingdom. The organisation works closely with other law enforcement agencies, including the National Crime Agency and Police, in delivering this protection. Border Force officers are trained to identify safeguarding issues though behavioural indicators and questioning. Where there are concerns about the safety of a child, they are referred to the appropriate agencies.

UK Visas and Immigration: Telephone Services

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons hon. Members' telephone access to UK Visas and Immigration has been reduced.

Brandon Lewis: The UKVI MP Account Management teams offered a reduced phone service from 11am -1.30pm and 2.00– 4pm since the beginning of summer recess to enable them to respond to an unprecedented increase in written enquiries from Members of Parliament. Hon. Members continue to be able to contact their MP Account Managers direct to raise urgent enquiries outside of these operating times. Reducing the operational hours of the service has helped ensure that the teams continue to deliver a balanced level of service both on the phones and in writing. Records show that the teams are handling similar call volumes in the reduced operating hours. From 10 October the phone service hours were increased to 11am to 4pm and they will continue to be reviewed weekly with a view to returning to the full service hours of 9am – 5pm.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time was for non-straightforward Tier 2 visa applications in each quarter of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The published information on processing times for visa applications is published as part of the Migration Transparency data, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-august-2017

Visas

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time was for non-straightforward Tier 1 visa applications in each quarter of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The published information on processing times for visa applications is published as part of the Migration Transparency data, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-august-2017

Visas: Africa

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps is she taking to ensure that bona fide business and personal visitors from African countries to the UK receive an efficient and courteous visa service.

Brandon Lewis: UKVisas and Immigration continually reviews its global visa operation to improve performance, incorporating customer and partner feedback to ensure value for money while maintaining excellent customer service.

Visas

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of administering the system for applications for settled status.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office constantly reviews its capabilities in order to deliver the Government’s agenda. With negotiations now underway, we continue to assess how our priorities will impact on the workforce and capabilities required. Operational units across the Home Office actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand and will continue to do so throughout negotiations and as the UK leaves the EU. Any resultant changes to resource requirements will be factored into strategic planning.

Passports: Republic of Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications from UK citizens resident in the Irish Republic have been processed by the (a) Belfast Passport Office and (b) British Embassy in Dublin since 2014.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to him on 10 October 2017 UIN 10355, and 7 December 2015 UIN 18581.

Visas

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time was for non-straightforward settlement visa applications in each quarter of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The published information on processing times for visa applications is published as part of the Migration Transparency data, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-august-2017

France: Refugees

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to work with its French counterpart for better coordination in the joint response to unaccompanied child refugees.

Brandon Lewis: The UK is working very closely with France and other EU Member States to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children. However, the primary responsibility for unaccompanied children in France lies with the French authorities. In Autumn last year, the French Government requested the support of the UK Government for its clearance of the Calais camp. As part of our comprehensive support for the camp clearance we transferred more than 750 children to the UK directly from France. We continue to work with the French authorities on ensuring the timely and efficient operation of the Dublin Regulation, and on the implementation of section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016. In addition, we have invested tens of millions of pounds in managing the situation in Northern France and in bolstering security at the UK’s border in Calais, including a contribution of up to £36 million to maintain security of the juxta-posed controls, support the situation in Calais and to ensure that the camp remains closed in the long term.

Detention Centres

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to reduce the size of the immigration detention estate.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office is transferring The Verne immigration removal centre back to Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service from January 2018, which will reduce the size of the immigration detention estate.

Overseas Students: Visas

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Test of English for International Communication students have had their visa cancelled in each of the last 12 months.

Brandon Lewis: UKVI transparency data provides details of refusal, curtailments and removal decisions in response to the abuse of secure English language testing. A link to the most recent available data is provided here; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-and-permanent-migration-data-february-2017 The table in SELT_02 is the closest match to the information requested.  The data was last published in February 2017 and only contains data to the last quarter (December 2016). ETS data is no longer published after this date.

Overseas Students: Deportation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Test of English for International Communication students are currently in deportation centres.

Brandon Lewis: UKVI transparency data provides details of refusal, curtailments and removal decisions in response to the abuse of secure English language testing. A link to the most recent available data is provided here; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-and-permanent-migration-data-february-2017 The information you request is not currently available. The table in SELT_02 is the closest match to the information requested. The data was last published in February 2017 and only contains data to the last quarter (December 2016). ETS data is no longer published after this date.

Refugees: Children

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that family reunion provisions for unaccompanied children are not restricted in the event that the UK ceases to be bound by the Dublin III regulation.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether applications by unaccompanied children for family reunion in the UK under the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation that had not been completed by the time the UK leaves the EU will be completed.

Brandon Lewis: The UK strongly supports the principle of family unity and there are already legal routes for families to be reunited safely that are not dependent on our EU membership. The UK’s family reunion policy is generous; we have granted over 24,000 family reunion visas over the last five years. Further, children recognised by UNHCR as refugees can join close family members here in the UK through our Mandate resettlement scheme.Unaccompanied children cannot make applications for family reunification under the Dublin Regulation. The Dublin Regulation is a mechanism to determine the Member State responsible for the consideration of an asylum claim; it is not, and never has been, a family reunification route in itself. The Immigration Rules provide for family reunion and allow extended family members to sponsor children where there are serious and compelling circumstances. The Immigration Rules are entirely separate from the Dublin Regulation, and will remain in force when the UK leaves the European Union.We expect cooperation on asylum and migration with our European partners to continue after the UK leaves the EU, and will discuss the exact nature of this cooperation in the negotiations.

Immigrants: Detainees

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the length of time people are detained for immigration purposes.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office are continually reviewing internal processes to ensure that the time any individual spends in immigration detention is kept to a minimum. Each person’s case is considered on the specific individual circumstances surrounding their immigration and/or offending history. Following Stephen Shaw’s review into the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons a number of casework changes were introduced to improve the efficiency of case progression and therefore reduce the time any individual spends in immigration detention. These include a single Detention Gatekeeper function to ensure an independent assessment on the suability for detention is made and Case Progression Panels to provide an internally independent review of suitability for continued detention and the progression of case actions. The Home Office will also soon introduce a duty from the 2016 Immigration Act to provide additional judicial oversight of immigration detention to the Immigration and Asylum Chamber. This ‘auto-bail provision’ will involve those in immigration detention being referred to the Tribunal for a bail hearing every 4 months.

Refugees: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on which the principal pull factors are for unaccompanied children choosing to come to the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The Government’s clear strategy has always been that we do not want to encourage people traffickers and incentivise perilous journeys to Europe, particularly by the most vulnerable children. Our policy is to support families to stay together and we have granted over 24,000 family reunion visas over the last five years. We are clear, from discussions with other Member States, that any schemes to transfer unaccompanied should not act as a draw. The Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme is a bespoke scheme to resettle 3,000 vulnerable children together with their families directly from the Middle East and North Africa region.

Police: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training her Department provides to senior officers in the (a) Metropolitan Police and (b) Hertfordshire Constabulary to assist and support police officers who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mr Nick Hurd: It is the responsibility of Chief Officers supported by the College of Policing to ensure the welfare of their employees which includes supporting officers with specific welfare needs by signposting to relevant services and additional support. This responsibility also includes ensuring that good management systems are in place to support officers in their work. The Strategic Command Course (SCC), which prepares police officers and staff for promotion to the most senior ranks in the service, includes specific content on staff wellbeing and the importance of supporting staff as well as being a theme that runs throughout the course. The style of delivery includes practising techniques such as peer coaching. The College of Policing have produced specific risk-management guidance to forces regarding how to assess and manage areas of policing where there is a higher level of exposure to psychological hazards known to be associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depression, primary and secondary trauma. Specific sections of the National Policing Curriculum in the new degree apprenticeship, for police constables, also cover health and wellbeing in which post traumatic stress disorder is covered specifically. In July 2017, the Home Secretary awarded £7.5million from the Police Transformation Fund over three years to pilot and, if it is successful, fund a dedicated national service to help provide enhanced welfare support. The new service will complement the support already delivered at force level to serving police officers and staff, covering mental health advice and welfare support.

Police: Greater Manchester

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have been employed by (a) Greater Manchester Police and (b) Bury Police Service in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of police officers employed by each police force in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis. These data are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2017 The Home Office does not collect this information by constituency. Data on the number of police officers in Greater Manchester Police, as at 31 March each year, can be found in the Open Data Tables accompanying the main release: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629362/open-data-table-police-workforce.ods

Vetting

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to review the rules on Disclosure and Barring Service checks that cover the criminal convictions of children being carried over into adulthood.

Sarah Newton: The Government keeps the framework governing the disclosure of criminal records under constant consideration in order to ensure the disclosure and barring arrangements continue to strike the right balance between safeguarding vulnerable groups and enabling offenders, including those who have received a conviction or caution aged under 18, to put their offending behind them.

College of Policing: Public Appointments

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the interview for the new chief executive of the College of Policing took place; and when she will announce the successful candidate.

Mr Nick Hurd: Interviews for the Chief Executive of the College of Policing took place on 10 July 2017. A successful candidate will be announced in due course.

Intercountry Adoption

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to publish new guidance on inter-country adoptions to replace the guidance that was removed and archived on 7 January 2014.

Brandon Lewis: We aim to publish new guidance on intercountry adoptions on GOV.UK before the end of this year.

Police Custody: Mental Illness

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to introduce regulations on the use of police stations as a place of safety under section 136A of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government expects to lay the Regulations provided for under section 136A of the Mental Health Act, shortly.

Police: Proscribed Organisations

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have been (a) accused, (b) suspended and (c) discharged from the service for being affiliated to a proscribed organisation in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold the information requested centrally. The Home Office collects and publishes information on the outcomes of misconduct meetings, misconduct hearings and criminal investigations in the police service, following a public complaint or internal conduct allegation. These data were first collected for the 2015/16 financial period. The Home Office does not collect any information on the incident or reasons that led to a misconduct matter arising. Data on the outcomes of misconduct meetings, hearings, and criminal investigations in 2015/16 can be found in the misconduct section of the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales

Fires: Death

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the number is of fire-related deaths by fire authority in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The latest published information on numbers of fire-related deaths by fire and rescue service can be found in Table 0502a available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the Civil Service workforce in his Department dedicated to planning for (a) the UK leaving the EU and (b) projects relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Margot James: It is not possible to estimate the proportion of staff time dedicated to EU exit due to the interdependencies and synergies between EU exit and the Department’s other priorities. Teams across the Department are working on delivering a successful EU exit. This includes full-time staff in central coordination teams, and dedicated resource embedded in policy and delivery teams. The Department will continue to ensure there is an appropriate level of resource to deliver its EU exit programme.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: EU Law

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department's estimate is of the amount of EU legislation and regulation that can be incorporated into UK law without amendment.

Margot James: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert European Union law into UK law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit. This will ensure that, wherever possible, the same rules and laws will apply the day after exit as they did before.The Government is still making a detailed assessment of what corrections will be required to make that law function appropriately on exit day. The Department for Exiting the European Union are working closely with departments across Government to ensure we make the changes required to deliver a functioning statute book on exit in the most efficient manner possible.

Managers: Pay

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the Government's policy is on executive pay being approved by an annual vote of shareholders.

Margot James: Remuneration policies of quoted companies must be put to a binding shareholder vote at least once every three years. A binding shareholder vote is required to approve any Directors’ remuneration that falls outside the scope of the approved remuneration policy.The annual Directors Remuneration Report on implementation of the remuneration policy is subject to an advisory shareholder vote. If this vote is lost, a company must put a new remuneration policy to a binding shareholder vote within twelve months.The Government has no current plans to change these existing shareholder voting provisions.

Managers: Pay

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to introduce the register on shareholder voting announced by the Prime Minister on 27 August 2017; and whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment of the number of companies it expects to be placed on that register.

Margot James: The Government’s response to the Corporate Governance Reform green paper consultation invited The Investment Association to implement its proposal to establish a public register of quoted companies encountering shareholder opposition of 20% or more to executive pay and other resolutions. The Investment Association is working to establish the register by the end of the year and the number of companies included will be confirmed at that time.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Telephone Services

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many 0345 telephone numbers are in use by his Department; and how much revenue has been generated by each such telephone number in each year since 2010.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has two 0345 numbers in operation: 0345 015 0010 which is the BEIS publications order line and 0345 001 2222 which is an Internal IT Service Desk helpline. No revenue is generated for either number.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: EU Law

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's estimate is of the amount of EU legislation and regulation that can be incorporated into UK law without amendment.

Sir Alan Duncan: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert European Union law into UK law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit. The Government is still making a detailed assessment of what corrections will be required to make that law function appropriately on exit day. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working with the Department for Exiting the European Union to ensure we make the changes required to deliver a functioning statute book on leaving the EU in the most efficient manner possible.

Colombia: Police

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Colombia on reports of anti-narcotics police firing on a UN-led humanitarian mission investigating the killing of farmers in Tumaco.

Sir Alan Duncan: Recent events in Tumaco are deeply worrying. I, therefore welcome the investigation announced by President Santos. Our Embassy in Bogota is in contact with the Colombian authorities.

North Korea: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 9872, what the Government's policy is on the circumstances under which it would consider imposing secondary sanctions on individuals, entities and governments found to have violated UN sanctions on North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, in addition to existing sanctions under the relevant UN Security Council resolution.

Boris Johnson: The UK continues to explore with its international partners additional measures to increase pressure on North Korea to comply with its international obligations and abandon its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, as well as working to ensure existing measures are fully implemented. Additional measures could include measures against those found to have violated UN sanctions where there is an adequate legal basis.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 9879, what the Government's policy is on whether the Government of North Korea should be required to engage in multilateral talks on its ballistic missile programme as a precondition for talks on its nuclear programme.

Boris Johnson: Both the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s ballistic missile and nuclear programmes are illegal and in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. The DPRK needs to demonstrate it is prepared to take credible steps towards meeting its international obligations in respect of both programmes.

Iran: Capital Punishment

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Government of Iran on the (a) destruction of the site of the mass grave of people killed in the 1988 prison massacre in Alivoz and (b) protection of that site to preserve forensic evidence for future investigations.

Alistair Burt: Although we have not received official confirmation of this, we are concerned about reports of plans to destroy grave sites related to the 1988 massacre. Whilst at present we have no plans to request an inquiry by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, we continue to take action with the international community to press for improvements on all human rights issues in Iran, including ending the death penalty and by supporting the work done by the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran. We also raise our concerns directly with the Iranian government and I was able to raise this directly with my Iranian counterpart during my visit to Tehran in August this year.

Iran: Capital Punishment

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will (a) make representations to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on establishing an independent inquiry into the 1988 prison massacre in Ahvaz, Iran, and (b) respond to Early Day Motion 448 of Session 2016-17, entitled Death of political prisoners in Iran in 1988.

Alistair Burt: The British Government opposes the use of the death penalty in all circumstances and takes any allegations of extrajudicial killings seriously. Whilst at present we have no plans to request an inquiry by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, we continue to take action with the international community to press for improvements on all human rights issues in Iran, including ending the death penalty and by supporting the work done by the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran. We also raise our concerns directly with the Iranian government and I was able to raise this directly with my Iranian counterpart during my visit to Tehran in August this year.

North Korea: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 9871, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of emerging consensus for new EU sanctions to be imposed on North Korea.

Boris Johnson: I welcomed the set of robust EU autonomous measures agreed at the 16 October Foreign Affairs Council. These measures hit the revenue streams that support the regime’s illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and demonstrate that the EU is united in its commitment to exert pressure on the regime in pursuit of a diplomatic resolution.

Yemen: Politics and Government

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The Saudi-led Coalition continues to seek to reinstate the legitimate government in Yemen and defend its own southern border against artillery and missile strikes by Houthi forces and those allied to former President Saleh. Sporadic fighting is taking place in western Yemen, including along the Saudi border, around Midi, north east of Sana'a and in the vicinity of Sirwah. We remain concerned by the ability of terrorist organisations such as Al Qaeda and Daesh to exploit ungoverned spaces in Yemen. The conflict has also resulted in security threats to international shipping in the Bab-el-Mandeb. Restarting peace talks remains the priority: a political solution is the best way to bring stability to Yemen and address the worsening humanitarian crisis. The UK continues to play a leading role in international efforts to achieve this goal. The Yemeni parties must engage constructively and in good faith to find a political solution to end the conflict.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 9879, what specific steps the Government of North Korea needs to take in order to manifest a serious and measurable change in behaviour to create the right conditions for talks on that country's nuclear programme.

Boris Johnson: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea needs to stop violating UN Security Council Resolutions and demonstrate to the international community that it has halted its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and is prepared to take verifiable steps toward denuclearisation.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 9879, what the Government's policy is on the length of time for which the Government of North Korea should be required to suspend its nuclear and ballistic missile testing in order to demonstrate the requisite change in its behaviour to create the right conditions for talks to begin on that country's nuclear programme.

Boris Johnson: Any suspension of nuclear and ballistic missile tests needs to be for a sufficient length of time to build confidence that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is prepared to engage in credible negotiations and to take verifiable steps toward denuclearisation.

North Korea: British Nationals Abroad

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential risks faced by UK nationals visiting North Korea; and what plans he has to revise his Department's travel advice for UK nationals visiting North Korea.

Boris Johnson: On 22 August 2017 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Travel Advice for North Korea was updated to advise against all but essential travel. This reflects the current security situation in North Korea, which can change without warning and with no advance notice of possible actions by the authorities. We continue to monitor the situation and regularly review the FCO Travel Advice.

Kim Jong-nam

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the (a) Government of Malaysia and (b) the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on the progress of investigations into the death of Kim Jong Nam in Kuala Lumpur on 13 February 2017; and what information his Department holds on claims by the Government of Malaysia that traces of VX nerve agent were found on the body of the deceased.

Boris Johnson: Our High Commission in Malaysia has discussed the death of Kim Jong Nam with the Malaysian authorities. We have encouraged the Government of Malaysia to pursue a thorough investigation and to share information with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).The Malaysian authorities have previously reported finding VX in samples from the deceased and received assistance in their investigations in the form of technical materials from the OPCW. At the Executive Council meeting of the OPCW on 10 October, the UK Delegation to the OPCW raised the issue of the use of VX in Malaysia in February, encouraging Malaysia to continue to inform the Council on the progress of investigations. We welcome Malaysia's statement at the OPCW on 10 October about the prosecution of 2 individuals, and the information that Interpol has been notified of further foreign suspects in the ongoing investigation.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on whether a formal request should be made for the UN Secretary-General to use his good offices to facilitate multilateral negotiations on North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.

Boris Johnson: The UN Secretary-General has called on the Democractic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to fully comply with its international obligations, as clearly set out by the UN Security Council. We continue to call on the DPRK to halt its illegal weapons programmes and show it is prepared to take verifiable steps towards denuclearisation. A positive response on the part of the DPRK is needed to facilitate any negotiations.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the diplomatic implications of the North Korean Government's rejection of an offer from the South Korean Government to engage in negotiations on North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.

Boris Johnson: The international community, including South Korea, is united in its belief that North Korea must change its path and open the way towards a peaceful resolution through diplomatic negotiations. The UK's focus remains on working with our international partners to look at how we can increase pressure on North Korea to reach a peaceful solution, including at the UN.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) the US and (b) North Korea on the circumstances under which the governments of those countries would be prepared to engage in multilateral negotiations on North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.

Boris Johnson: I regularly discuss all aspects of the situation in North Korea with US Secretary of State Tillerson. I have not engaged directly with my North Korean counterpart. We are able to deliver messages directly to the regime through our Embassy in Pyongyang and North Korea's Embassy in London.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the diplomatic implications of the recent statement by his North Korean counterpart that the government of that country is considering carrying out an atmospheric nuclear test explosion; and what discussions he has had with his North Korean counterpart on that issue.

Boris Johnson: I have not had direct discussions with my North Korean counterpart. We made clear to the North Korean government through our Embassy in Pyongyang our view of this latest provocative comment, and urged North Korea not to carry out such a test. The UN Security Council has condemned North Korea's pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and imposed severe sanctions. We continue to urge the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to comply with its international obligations, halt its provocations, and return to negotiations.

Israel: Palestinians

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking towards achieving a two state solution to the Israel and Palestine conflict.

Alistair Burt: We continue to believe the two-state solution is the only viable solution to the Arab Israeli conflict, and that there is now some need for greater urgency in attempting to resolve such a long standing issue. We are concerned that settlement construction, demolition of Palestinian property by the Israeli authorities, incitement and terrorist attacks are undermining prospects for peace. Ultimately we believe that peace will only come through negotiations between the parties, but international action could play a role in supporting progress. We are in close consultation with international partners, including the US, about what kind of renewed process might have a better chance of success, including one with a greater role for regional partners.

Catalonia: Violence

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken in response to the recent violence in Catalonia.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Prime Minister discussed the situation in Catalonia with the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, on 17 October and expressed the UK’s support for the rule of law and respect for the Spanish constitution. This followed a meeting between the Spanish Ambassador, Carlos Bastarreche, and I on 11 October, after which I released a public statement.

Israel: Palestinians

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Israeli Government on that government's legal obligation towards the people of the Gaza Strip and the Occupied Palestinian Territories under international law.

Alistair Burt: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 18 October 2017.The correct answer should have been:

It has long been the Government's view that Israel's presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is governed by the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, to which Israel is a state party. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation.

Alison Thewliss: It has long been the Government's view that Israel's presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is governed by the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, to which Israel is a state party. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation.

Israeli Settlements

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Israeli Government on the matter of the legality of Israeli settlements built in the  Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Alistair Burt: We regularly raise our concerns over the illegality of Israeli settlements built in the occupied Palestinian territories. As well as being illegal under international law, we view settlements as an obstacle to the two state solution. When I visited Israel in August this year, I raised our concern with the Israeli Minister for Regional Cooperation and the Deputy Minister in the Prime Ministers’ Office.

Syria: Human Rights and War Crimes

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that members of the Assad regime who have committed war crimes and human rights abuses are held to account.

Alistair Burt: The UK is committed to ensuring that those responsible for violations of international law and human rights abuses in Syria are held to account. We have been at the forefront of international action. The UK co-sponsored a United Nations General Assembly resolution establishing a new International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to support the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the most serious crimes. The UK strongly supports the work of the UN Commission of Inquiry whose reports have shone a light on the most serious human rights violations in the Syrian conflict. In partnership with other donor countries, we are funding the collection of documentary evidence for use in any legal procedures in the future. All available evidence shows the Asad regime's responsibilty for the great majority of offences.

Pakistan: Christianity

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on the protection of vulnerable Christian villagers in Pakistan against further attacks; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: We are concerned about continuing reports of abuses against religious minorities in Pakistan. The Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs. We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of minority communities with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. The ​Foreign Secretary discussed the importance we attach to safeguarding the rights of all Pakistan's citizens during his visit to Pakistan in November 2016. The former Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Mr Sharma, raised the protection of minorities with Kamran Michael, former Minister for Human Rights, and Barrister Zafarullah Khan, former Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Human Rights, during a visit to Pakistan in January 2017. Our High Commission in Islamabad raised our concerns about the treatment of religious minorities with the Ministry of Human Rights last month. We will continue to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations, including those related to religious minorities, as part of Pakistan's forthcoming Universal Periodic Review.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has received on the number of cases in Saudi Arabia where torture has been alleged to have been used by authorities to extract a confession from a person who has subsequently been sentenced to death and is currently on death row.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is aware of media reports about the use of torture by the Saudi Arabian authorities to extract confessions from persons who have subsequently been sentenced to death, or who are currently on death row; but has received no representations from confirmed cases. The British Government condemns torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and it is a priority for us to combat it wherever and whenever it occurs.

Israel: Palestinians

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to review the implementation of the recommendations in the Children in Military Custody report, which was funded and published by his Department in 2012.

Alistair Burt: We remain extremely concerned about the treatment of Palestinian children detained in Israeli prisons. We funded and facilitated the independent report on Children in Military Custody by leading British lawyers. Ministers and our Ambassador to Israel have strongly urged Israel to implement the recommendations it made. I again raised our concerns over the issue of children in detention with the Israeli authorities during my recent visit between 22-23 August.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Telephone Services

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many 0345 telephone numbers are in use by his Department; and how much revenue has been generated by each telephone number in each such year since 2010.

Sir Alan Duncan: No 0345 telephone numbers have been used by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 2010.

Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will review the decision not to sign the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty 2017.

Sir Alan Duncan: We have no plan to review our decision.

Attorney General

Syria: Armed Conflict

Liam Byrne: To ask the Attorney General, what charges have been brought against British citizens for acts relating to the conflict in Syria and Daesh activities in that region; how many citizens have been charged for each such offence; and what sentences have been handed down by courts from convictions relating to such charges.

Jeremy Wright: The Crown Prosecution Service does not hold these official figures. The Home Office Statistical Bulletin publishes data about convictions quarterly but does not distinguish those which relate to Syria and Daesh. It sets out the principal offences for which terrorists were convicted and the sentences.

Domestic Violence

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutions for violence in a domestic setting there were in each of the last three years; and how many of those prosecutions resulted in a conviction.

Jeremy Wright: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of defendants flagged as involving domestic abuse that were prosecuted and convicted through its Case Management System.The table below shows the volume and proportion of domestic abuse prosecutions and convictions during each of the last three years. 2014 - 152015 - 162016 - 17 Volume%Volume%Volume%Convictions68,60173.9%75,23574.5%70,85375.7%Unsuccessful24,17826.1%25,69525.5%22,73724.3%Total92,779 100,930 93,590 Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

Prosecutions: British Nationals Abroad

Liam Byrne: To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking under the (a) UK statutory and (b) international legal framework to improve rates of prosecution for British Citizens for participation in (i) acts of genocide and (b) war crimes committed abroad.

Jeremy Wright: On 21 September 2017, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to adopt UK-proposed Daesh Accountability Resolution 2379, which requests the UN Secretary General to establish an Investigative Team headed by a Special Adviser to collect, preserve and store evidence of Daesh crimes, beginning in Iraq.The UK will work alongside the UN, Government of Iraq and other partners to implement Resolution 2379, ensuring that everything possible is done to hold Daesh to account for their crimes. This could potentially include the Team sharing evidence of crimes committed by British citizens in Iraq with UK authorities.Within the CPS, all allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are dealt with by a team of specially trained prosecutors in the Counter Terrorism Division (CTD). CTD work closely with the war crimes team of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) under well established guidelines, details of which can be found here http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/agencies/war_crimes.html#bEach case investigated by the police which is referred to the CPS is considered on its own merits. A charging decision is then made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

European Court of Justice

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Attorney General, how many times the Government has been ordered to pay damages in accordance with the European Court of Justice ruling in Francovich of 1991; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The Government does not maintain a central record of cases that include a claim for Francovich damages. There have been at least 5 reported cases in which the Government has been ordered to pay such damages. The Government has been able to identify at least 16 ongoing cases against it which involve a claim for Francovich damages. The fact that such a claim has been made does not mean that it is well-founded, or that damages will be payable.

European Court of Justice

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Attorney General, whether the Government is involved in cases in which it might be ordered to pay damages in accordance with the European Court of Justice ruling in Francovich of 1991 in the event that it is defeated in such cases.

Jeremy Wright: The Government does not maintain a central record of cases that include a claim for Francovich damages. There have been at least 5 reported cases in which the Government has been ordered to pay such damages. The Government has been able to identify at least 16 ongoing cases against it which involve a claim for Francovich damages. The fact that such a claim has been made does not mean that it is well-founded, or that damages will be payable.

Department for International Development

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has responded to the appeal from humanitarian agencies for a global fund of $25 million for humanitarian funding for life-saving interventions in the Gaza Strip.

Alistair Burt: The UK will provide £1.9 million to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Gaza to address critical water, sanitation and hygiene needs, benefitting approximately 1 million people. UNICEF performs a unique role in supporting vulnerable people in the most complex settings and is committed to taking forwards the UK’s ambitious UN reform agenda.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs humanitarian funding appeal to support people in Gaza.

Alistair Burt: The UK will provide £1.9 million to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Gaza to address critical water, sanitation and hygiene needs, benefitting approximately 1 million people. UNICEF performs a unique role in supporting vulnerable people in the most complex settings and is committed to taking forwards the UK’s ambitious UN reform agenda.

Developing Countries: Pneumonia

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to tackle preventable child deaths from pneumonia in support of progress towards Sustainable Development Goals.

Alistair Burt: The UK is the largest donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which delivers the pneumococcal vaccine to developing countries to protect against the main cause of pneumonia. Between 2010 and 2016, 109 million children received the vaccine with Gavi support, saving an estimated 762,000 lives.As part of the UK’s commitment to achieving the Global Goals, DfID supports countries to build stronger health systems that can respond to both the existing disease burden and emerging health needs.

Overseas Aid: Disasters

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made towards its commitment to increase spending on disaster risk reduction; and to which countries that additional funding has been allocated.

Alistair Burt: In response to the 2011 Humanitarian Emergency Response Review, DFID committed to embed disaster resilience within all country programmes, influencing DFID’s overall bilateral spend, rather than having a separate funding line for disaster risk reduction. For example:In Ethiopia, DFID contributes towards the Productive Safety Net Programme to address hunger and poverty for the poorest rural Ethiopians. The safety net is designed to increase their ability to deal with weather induced shocks. This approach has helped to reduce food stress for 10 million people.The Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED) programme aims to benefit 5 million vulnerable people, especially women and children, in 13 developing countries. It will help them become more resilient to climate extremes and disasters, while gathering knowledge on how to avoid humanitarian disasters arising from climate extremes.In Kenya, DFID supported the Arid Lands Support Programme (ASP) to support the resilience of some 475,000 people. The programme included: the expansion of a pilot Index Based Livestock Insurance mechanism for poor pastoralists; improved fodder production and storage; and the building of community assets, such as water storage”.More recently, the UK’s new Humanitarian policy aims to build on the commitments made at the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, including the Grand Bargain. This will include continuing to provide core, un-earmarked funding to multilateral agencies but making sure our funding is conditional to progress made in delivering radical system-wide reform as well as continue to improve the international, national and local capacities to manage disasters.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the memorandum of understanding between the Palestinian Authority and her Department, what discussions her Department has had with the Palestinian Authority on its funding for summer camps in which children performed mock stabbing attacks.

Alistair Burt: Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle. I raised the issue of incitement with senior Palestinian counterparts during my recent visit.

Israel: Palestinians

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the Foreign Secretary on support for the establishment of an international fund for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Alistair Burt: We are following the progress of establishment of the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace closely. DFID’s new 3-year people-to-people programme has similar aims and will bring together individuals from both sides of the conflict to build support for a just and peaceful political solution. As a joint minister I can confirm that DFID continues to work closely with the FCO on this.

Developing Countries: Slavery

Alex Burghart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to tackle modern slavery in developing countries.

Priti Patel: DFID leads the cross government effort to tackle the scourge of modern slavery. Our Work in Freedom programme has already reached over 380,000 women and girls in South Asia and the Middle East.

Developing Countries: Disease Control

Vicky Ford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle neglected tropical diseases.

Priti Patel: The number of people at risk from Neglected Tropical Diseases has decreased from 2 billion in 2010 to 1.6 billion in 2015, in large part due to the high quality, lifesaving programmes the UK supports in 27 countries. In April 2017 the UK announced we will protect over 200m people from the pain and disfigurement caused by NTDs.

Department for International Development: Procurement

Mr Marcus Fysh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to promote access by SME's to her Department's procurement programme.

Priti Patel: DFID’s SME Action Plan sets out a range of measures to promote access. These include increased use of social media, a specific email address and forums for SMEs, and breaking up suitable contracts into smaller lots for delivery by SMEs.

Department for International Development: Staff

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to increase staff resources in her Department to implement the Government's reforms to private contractor relationships announced on 3 October 2017.

Priti Patel: There are no plans to increase staff numbers in order to implement the Supplier Review. Implementation will be delivered within DFID’s existing budget with no additional cost to taxpayers.

Syria: Overseas Aid

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of UK aid to people displaced by the crisis in Syria.

Priti Patel: UK aid is making a real difference in Syria, providing life-saving and life-changing support to millions of people displaced inside Syria, and millions more who have taken refuge in neighbouring countries. Since 2012, UK aid supplied over 26 million food rations that feed a person for a month, and 10.3 million medical consultations that can mean the difference between life and death.

Department for Education

Schools: Finance

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and which (a) academies and (b) free schools applied to her Department to have their funding arrangements changed to allow them to vary their school admissions requirements in 2016-17; and which of those applications were approved.

Nick Gibb: Based on the information available to the Education and Skills Funding Agency, there have been eight requested in-year variations by academies and free schools in financial year 2016-17.In-year variations can be requested where there is a significant change in circumstances that require a change to the admission arrangements, such as fire, flood, or an unexpected increase in the number of pupils in the area.The table attached lists the requests from academies and free schools considered, approved, accepted with conditions, or rejected.



In-year variations
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Department for Education: EU Law

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's estimate is of the amount of EU legislation and regulation that can be incorporated into UK law without amendment.

Anne Milton: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert European Union law into UK law at the point of exit. This will ensure that, wherever possible, the same rules and laws will apply the day after exit. The Government is still making a detailed assessment of what corrections will be required to make that law function appropriately on exit day. The Department is working closely with the Department for Exiting the European Union to ensure we make the required changes to deliver a functioning statute book on exit in the most efficient manner possible.

Pupils: Personal Records

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether third party organisations have access to data on the National Pupil Database; and if she will make a statement.

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what audit processes her Department has implemented to ensure that third-party organisations which access the National Pupil Database store and process that data in compliance with their original agreements with the Government.

Nick Gibb: The National Pupil Database (NPD) is a longitudinal research database that provides evidence on educational performance to inform independent research, as well as studies commissioned by the Department. The Department may legally share the NPD, or elements of it, with third parties, using powers set out in Section 537A of the Education Act 1997 and the Education (Individual Pupil Information) (Prescribed Persons) (England) Regulations 2009. Organisations requesting access under those powers must show how it will be used to promote pupils’ education, through evidence or research. In addition to the provisions within the Education Act 1997, in line with the Data Protection Act 1998, where the police or Home Office have evidence that a child may be at risk or evidence of criminal activity, limited data including a pupil’s address and school details may be requested from the NPD. This data does not include nationality or country of birth information. It is right that we share this data if it helps to keep a child safe from harm or to disrupt a crime. Anyone requesting data from the NPD must comply with strict confidentiality and security rules and be registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office for their request to be approved. Any access to sensitive data is strictly controlled and governed by legal experts and senior civil servants. Access is subject to requestors complying with strict terms and conditions imposed under contractual arrangements. The requestor must demonstrate that they have the appropriate security arrangements in place to process the data and will keep the data only for the specified length of time. A security questionnaire provided with each application provides details of the organisation’s technical and physical security measures. The information provided in the security questionnaire is considered as part of the approvals process. Experience suggests organisations using NPD take these processes very seriously and comply with these conditions. A data retention period is set for any extract of the NPD we provide to third parties and is usually between 6 months and 3 years, depending on the aims of the project. Data destruction is a vital part of data sharing agreements, and the Department follows up each permitted use to seek confirmation that data has been appropriately destroyed. The process and guidelines for requesting access to extracts of the NPD, as well as a full list of requests received and processed by the Department, is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-pupil-database.

Schools: Buildings

Lucy Frazer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that those schools that have been underfunded relative to the national average for many years have priority in any applications for school building improvements.

Nick Gibb: The Department fund school building improvements through a combination of formula-based payments (School Condition Allocations and Devolved Formula Capital), and bid-based systems (the Condition Improvement Fund and the Priority School Building Programme). In order to secure the best value for money, both types of funding prioritise the buildings with the most severe condition need, rather than looking at other funding received by the institutions in question. Prioritisation may be informed by a combination of the Department’s building surveys and condition information contained in any bid. School Condition Allocations and Devolved Formula Capital:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocations Condition Improvement Fund:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-improvement-fund Priority School Building Programme:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/priority-school-building-programme-psbp

Supply Teachers

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the proportion of the schools budget spent on supply teachers in (a) Kirklees, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) England in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not hold information on spending specifically as a proportion of the school budget, but does hold information on the amount spent by schools on supply teaching staff (including such costs as insurance and agency fees) as a proportion of total expenditure by schools. We publish these data annually at:Local authority maintained schools on the Department’s School and College Performance website: https://www.gov.uk/school-performance-tables, andAcademies in the Department’s Statistical First Release Income and expenditure in academies in England: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-and-expenditure-in-academies-in-england-2015-to-2016.The published data are at school-level, including a filter to identify local authority such as Kirklees and those in West Yorkshire.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the accessibility for children with special educational needs and disability of 30 hours free childcare places.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We believe that every eligible child, regardless of their need or disability, should be able to access the 30 hours. The early implementation of 30 hours showed that local areas that had put in place measures to support the participation of special educational needs and disability (SEND) children were successful in delivering extended places to children with additional needs, including those with very complex needs. We have put in place a range of measures to support local areas. Our National Funding Formula includes an additional needs factor which directs more funding to local authorities with more need. And our new Disability Access Fund, worth £615 per child, and the requirement that local authorities establish a SEN Inclusion Fund, will help to ensure children with SEND can access and get the best from the 30 hours. The department has also awarded grants to support children with SEND to five Voluntary and Community Sector organisations, worth over £1.5 million, and Childcare Works, our 30 hours’ delivery contractor, hosted events in July and September focused on supporting local authorities and providers to implement the 30 hour offer for children with SEND.

Schools: Sports

Leo Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase participation in sport by school children.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Through the primary PE and sport premium, the government has invested over £600m of ring-fenced funding to primary schools to improve PE and sport since 2013. The government has doubled the premium from September 2017 using revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. £100m from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy will be used for the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund. The funding is for one year only (2018-19). It is intended to facilitate an improvement in children’s physical and mental health by increasing and improving access to and use of relevant facilities, such as kitchens, dining facilities, changing rooms and sports facilities. The new PE curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities, are physically active for sustained periods of time and lead healthy and active lives. The department also funds targeted grants to support the delivery of the School Games and helps schools to ensure PE and sport is inclusive.

Department for Education: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2017 to Question 10448, on Department for Education: procurement, to which organisation that civil servant was seconded; and for how long that secondment was for.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The staff member referred to in the answer to Question 10448 was employed by the department through the Government Procurement Graduate Scheme. As part of that scheme, trainees spent six months on secondment to either a private or voluntary sector organisation. Secondments were arranged by the scheme organisers. The department trainee was seconded to Vodafone for a period of 6 months.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate the Government has made of the amount her Department will receive from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy in each year from 2018 to 2022; what proportion of that funding  will be allocated to (a) the PE and Sport Premium, (b) the Healthy Pupils Capital Programme and (c) any other related sport and healthy living initiative in each of those years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The government wants all pupils to be healthy and active. Every penny of England’s share of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy will be spent on projects that improve child health. The Department for Education will receive £575m from the levy, with revenue used to:Double funding for the Primary PE and Sport Premium to £320m a year from 2017 to 2020. £415m of the funding for the doubled premium will be provided through the Soft Drinks Levy across FY17-18 to FY19-20.FY 2017-18£95m**Funding for premium is paid in academic years, with 7/12ths of the funding paid in the autumn term and the remaining 5/12ths in the summer term. This is the autumn payment of the 17/18 AY. Figures have been rounded.FY 2018-19£160mFY 2019-20£160mProvide £100m in 2018/19 for a new healthy pupils’ capital fund.Provide £60m to other relevant projects, for example breakfast clubs. The profile for this funding is yet to be agreed.Funding for 2020-21 onwards will be assigned at the next Spending Review.

Runaway Children

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have gone missing from care homes in each of the last five years.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children who went missing from care homes remained unfound in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Information on the numbers of children recorded as missing from care homes during the year and the number who were recorded as missing at the end of March in a given year are shown in the table attached. These statistics are based on data collected for the first time in 2015, and should be treated with caution as local authorities’ recording of this information is improving over time. The figures are therefore not comparable between years and the information provided does not mean that the number of missing incidents is increasing in the volumes indicated below. Information for earlier years is not available.Local authorities have improved their reporting of missing incidents through increased collaboration with partner organisations and carers, updated recording systems, and further training for carers to improve understanding of reporting processes.



107417_107419_table_attachment
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Schools: Food

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish the refreshed school food standards set out in the Childhood Obesity Plan; and whether those standards will reflect new requirements on dietary fibre.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The childhood obesity plan, published in August 2016, mentions that we will update the School Food Standards in light of refreshed government dietary recommendations. We are currently reflecting on the best course of action and further announcements will be made in due course.

Sugar: Health

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to issue additional guidance to local education authorities on the effect of sugar on young people's health.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The government wants pupils to be healthy and well nourished. We encourage a healthy balanced diet and healthy life choices through early years and school funding, legislation and guidance.In July 2015 the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published its report on Carbohydrates and Health, available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-carbohydrates-and-health-report.  SACN concluded that increases in sugar consumption lead to increases in energy intake and that consuming sugary drinks results in weight gain and increases in body mass index in children and adolescents. The Committee recommended that the intake of free sugars should not exceed 5% of total dietary energy and that the consumption of sugar sweetened drinks should be minimised in both children and adults. These recommendations were accepted into government policy. Messages on sugar are communicated via a range of different routes, including Change4Life materials of which are available to schools. The Public Health England (PHE) Campaign Resource Centre available at: https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/ is a ‘one stop shop’ for all PHE marketing campaign resources and might be of use to local educational authorities on this issue. There are no plans to provide additional guidance on this issue at this time.

Department for Education: Government Property Unit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2017 to Question 105820, if she will make public applications made to the Government property unit to extend or renew their lets in each year since 2012 which were granted with conditions attached to them; and what the conditions were in each case.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but the information requested is not held centrally.

Special Educational Needs

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local funding authority is responsible for financial support for high needs students aged 16 to 25 when they study in a different area to that in which they reside.

Anne Milton: The local authority responsible for making provision for students aged 16 to 25 who have special educational needs and disabilities, and who have an education, health and care plan, is the local authority of the area in which the student normally resides.In order to secure such provision the local authority provides the institution concerned with high needs funding, if the costs of additional support for the student exceed £6,000 per annum. There are exceptions to this if the young person is in a children’s home or foster care, and is looked after by a local authority other than the authority of the area in which they normally reside. In that case we would expect the local authority that looks after the young person to meet the costs of additional support in excess of £6,000.

Schools: Monitoring

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department monitors particular schools for gender segregation.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice

Debt Collection

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the National Police Chiefs' Council on its decision to tender the work of civilian enforcement officers.

Dominic Raab: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) currently uses private contractors known as Approved Enforcement Agencies (AEA) to undertake some of its enforcement functions. The work that HMCTS civilian enforcement officers do is already undertaken by these Agencies in many areas of England and Wales, where there are established links with the police. No discussions have taken place with the National Police Chiefs’ Council regarding the procurement of new AEA contracts. We will engage them and local Police Forces once we know the details of the contracts to be awarded.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the rate of successful prosecutions originating in investigations by the Independent Police Complaints Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with the Chief Scientific Adviser in his Department in the last three months.

Dominic Raab: The department’s Director of Analytical Services also acts in capacity as the Chief Scientific Adviser for the Ministry of Justice. The Secretary of State has met with the Director on one occasion and with Ministers on three occasions over this time period.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Finance

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the business cases for requests for additional funding by community rehabilitation companies.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We have made changes to how CRCs are paid for future years so they can focus on activities that best rehabilitate offenders and keep society safe. This additional investment will see projected payments to providers being no higher than originally budgeted for at the time of the reforms. Any business case for additional funding for Community Rehabilitation Companies contains commercially sensitive and legally privileged information and, therefore, will not be published.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Finance

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which community rehabilitation companies have requested additional funding in 2017.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much additional funding he plans for each community rehabilitation company to receive in 2017.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much each community rehabilitation company received in additional funding in 2016.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which community rehabilitation companies have requested additional funding in 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) received additional funding which totalled £37.15m in the 2016/17 financial year. CRCs also received an interim uplift which totalled £22m in the early months of the 2017/18 financial year. These payments were made for a variety of reasons and cannot be broken down by CRC because the information is commercially sensitive. Furthermore, agreements were made with CRCs on a case-by-case basis to enable them to re-invest contractual payment deductions in key areas of the business and improve services. We have made changes to how CRCs are paid for future years so they can focus on activities that best rehabilitate offenders and keep society safe. This additional investment will see projected payments to providers being no higher than originally budgeted for at the time of the reforms.

Package Holidays: Compensation

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made on plans to tackle bogus holiday sickness claims.

Dominic Raab: The Government is committed to taking action to address the issue of package holiday personal injury claims and announced a package of measures on 9 July 2017. As part of this, we published a Call for Evidence on 13 October 2017, the responses to which will inform future decisions. In addition, the Claims Management Regulator and the Solicitors Regulation Authority have taken significant steps to deal with abuses in this area. The travel industry itself also has a vital role to play and is taking steps to address the issues around package holiday claims.

Administration of Justice

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to enhance joint-working between probation services and sentencers.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Successful joint working between the probation service and judges, magistrates and other key partners is vital to ensure that we not only keep people safe by ensuring offenders receive the most appropriate sentence, but help offenders turn away from a life of crime by ensuring they have the correct levels of supervision and support. The National Sentencer and Probation Forum has the primary aim of encouraging and facilitating engagement between sentencers, providers of probation services, and officials from the Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service to discuss issues and trends which are relevant to sentencing and the provision of probation services at both a local and a national level. There are also a number of communication channels and existing forums to encourage effective joint working between probation service providers and sentencers at a local level. We continue to keep the effectiveness of these arrangements under review as part of our ongoing work to improve probation services.

Prison Officers: Training

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure the continuing professional development of existing prison officers.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) already have a wide range of learning resources, including face to face courses in specialist areas such as Offender Management, Safer Custody, Use of Force, Hostage Negotiator and Intelligence. The content of all HMPPS’ learning programmes is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect policy and legislative changes and the changing needs of the organisation. HMPPS are also planning to launch a new interactive learning catalogue this year, which will help our workforce to better understand the learning offer and make greater use of continuous learning so they have the tools and capabilities to support offenders in the modern prison environment.

Prison Officers: Training

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the training of new prison officers.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Initial training of newly recruited prison officers begins with a 12-week Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) course. This provides new officers with a foundation level of training in all core skill areas including interpersonal skills, mental health awareness, equality, violence reduction and safer custody, alongside the more traditional security awareness and practical skills needed to be a prison officer. HMPPS has also invested in training for 75 Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) Mentors who support new entrant staff in the first 12 months of their role in establishments. HMPPS are currently reviewing how the POELT training package can be delivered differently to our new prison officer recruits, so that they are more confident and have an improved introduction for working in a modern prison environment.

Prisons and Probation Ombudsman

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to extend statutory status to the office of the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to introduce statutory purposes for prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We remain committed to continuing to reform our prison framework to make prisons places of safety and reform. Although neither measure was included in the Queen’s Speech our priorities can be delivered without legislation. The statutory purpose for prisons set out what the prison system should seek to achieve. This remains what the whole system is working towards: protecting the public; reforming and rehabilitating offenders; preparing prisoners for life outside prison; and maintaining an environment that is safe and secure. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman works to a comprehensive set of Terms of Reference, which were updated in April of this year and will be kept under review. To further strengthen the role of the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman we are developing a Protocol between the Ombudsman and Ministry of Justice to set out the role of both organisations in relation to each other, similar to the protocol agreed between HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and the Department earlier this year.

Prisons: Repairs and Maintenance

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has allocated to improve prison buildings in England and Wales.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Ministry of Justice resource and capital budget for major (centrally funded) investment in existing prison buildings for 2017/18 is £93.7m. The Government stated its ambition for the prison estate transformation programme in the November 2016 Prison Safety and Reform White Paper, which set out that we want a prison estate that is less crowded, better organised, and that is increasingly made up of modern, fit for purpose accommodation.

Prisons: Education

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Chair of the Sentencing Council on linking the length of custodial sentences to the acquisition of specified skills in prison.

Dominic Raab: Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts, taking into account the circumstances of the case and relevant sentencing guidelines, which are published by the independent Sentencing Council. Sentencing Guidelines assist sentencers in determining the seriousness of an offence, considering the offender’s culpability and the harm caused, and any aggravating and mitigating factors. The Secretary of State for Justice has to date had no discussions with the Chair of the Sentencing Council on linking the length of custodial sentences to the acquisition of specified skills in prison.

Prisoners: Radicalism

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of prison-based de-radicalisation programmes; and what improvements have been made to such programmes in the last 12 months.

Mr Sam Gyimah: HMPPS delivers a number of interventions to promote desistance and dis-engagement from extremism. These interventions include psychological and theological approaches. The effectiveness of these and other measures to combat extremism continues to be kept under review. New programmes and approaches to de-radicalisation are developed where necessary in order to ensure our response remains commensurate with the threat posed and the rehabilitative needs of the cohort.

Juries: Hearing Impaired

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of people registered as deaf who are called for jury service in each of the last five years.

Dominic Raab: The Jury Central Summoning Bureau is not aware at point of summons of any potential disabilities. Replies to summonses, where this information is provided to the Jury Central Summoning Bureau, are only kept for twelve months. Reviewing these replies would not provide data for the five years requested and would not provide a complete data set (as telephone and email responses are not recorded). This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Electronic Tagging: Standards

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to use contracts it has with G4S to improve the tagging performance of that company; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: G4S provide electronic monitoring hardware (tags and home monitoring units) under contract, to the Ministry of Justice, having ceased delivery of field services and monitoring operations in early 2014, when the contract was transferred to Capita. On 27 June 2017 G4S were awarded preferred bidder status for the next generation electronic monitoring hardware contract, with Capita continuing to provide the field services and monitoring operations. The contracts are subject to stringent specifications and the equipment has been rigorously tested to exacting performance standards. The Department has robust processes in place to monitor and manage contractors and will not hesitate to take action when standards fall short.

Prisoners: Suicide

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners in (a) HM Prison Northumberland, (b) the North East and (c) the UK have died by suicide whilst incarcerated in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Statistics on deaths in custody in England and Wales are published quarterly. The latest statistics (up to June 2017) were published on 27 July and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics Every death in custody is a tragedy, and we are redoubling our efforts to make prisons places of safety for those at risk. A Prison Safety Programme is implementing the reforms set out in the November 2016 Prison Safety and Reform White Paper, and we have put in place specialist regional safer custody leads to provide advice to prisons and to spread good practice on identifying and supporting prisoners at risk. We are rolling out new Suicide and Self-harm reduction training across the estate to help our staff identify risks and triggers of suicide and self-harm and understand what they can do to support prisoners at risk.

Prisons: Publications

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department maintains a list of books and other written materials which have been banned by each prison.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department has provided to prison governors on rules permitting books to be handed on to prisoners.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the speed with which books are passed to prisoners by means of designated providers.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that prisoners do not face delays in receiving books sent by means of designated providers.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the ease and speed with which prisons provide books to prisoners.

Mr Sam Gyimah: HM Prison and Probation Service’s (HMPPS) Public Protection Manual (Prison Service Instruction 18/2016) explains which materials are seen as inappropriate for prisoners to have in their possession.The Manual contains a list of publications that are restricted for public protection purposes. This list of materials is not exhaustive given the ongoing process of identification, assessment and removal of inappropriate materials. For all publications not on the banned list, prison staff are required to consider the content against the criteria in the Manual. Governors of all prisons in England and Wales can restrict publications at their own discretion for good order and discipline, security and public protection purposes. Some prisons have developed an enhanced list of restricted publications since the Manual was published. Any decision to restrict material that is not listed in the Manual is made on a case-by-case basis by all prisons. HMPPS does not hold copies of any enhanced lists or records of individual governors’ decisions.Materials including books may be restricted in prisons. This can happen in three ways: the Public Protection Manual contains a list of materials to which no prisoner in any prison is allowed access;the Manual also allows an individual prison to add to that list for the whole population of the prison, if local circumstances require it; andmaterials not otherwise restricted may need to be withheld from individual prisoners if required by their offending behaviour or risk management needs. We have put in place a system which, as part of the Incentives and Earned Privileges Policy (Prison Service Instruction 30/2013), enables books to be sent in by family and friends, either directly or via an approved retailer, either online or in high street shops. Prisoners also have access to public library services. In addition, as set out in Prisoner Retail Policy (Prison Service Instruction 23/2013) prisons also have the discretion to allow purchases to be made from catalogues, but it is at individual prison discretion if this service is offered at all, and if so which catalogues are used. There are currently no set timelines for when items must reach the intended prisoner as security checks must be made before a book is handed over to the prisoner, although the expectation would be as soon as it is practically possible. The screening of incoming goods, including books, is necessary to combat illicit commodities being smuggled into prisons.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that drug users receive (a) suitable accommodation and (b) access to addiction support services after they leave prison.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Assisting offenders to secure suitable accommodation upon their release is a vital part of the Government’s approach to reducing reoffending and is especially important for those who struggle with substance misuse. Through the commencement of the Homelessness Reduction Act (2017), Prisons and Probation providers will be subject to the new duty to refer to the local housing authority someone who might be at risk of becoming homeless, including drug users. Additionally, as part of our prison reforms a shared accommodation performance measure, for Prison Governors and Probation Providers is being considered to incentivise collaboration and increase the likelihood of offenders securing suitable accommodation. We are also exploring with our health partners what more we can do to give probation the tools they need to enable effective substance misuse treatment upon release. This will be supported by work to improve systems for sending health information to community-based providers in order to support continued treatment through the gate.

Ministry of Justice: Brexit

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the Civil Service workforce in his Department dedicated to planning for (a) the UK leaving the EU and (b) projects relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Dominic Raab: The UK's departure from the European Union impacts upon most areas of departmental business. Staff within the Department’s Global Britain Directorate lead on providing advice to Ministers on EU Exit and exit-related issues. However, members of staff across the Department also provide advice and analysis on EU Exit issues as required. Given the interactions between EU exit work and the Department’s other priorities, it would not be possible to give a precise figure.

Young Offenders: Criminal Records

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's policy is on criminal offences of people under 18 being carried forward into adulthood.

Dr Phillip Lee: We want to divert children from entering the criminal justice system in the first instance, with custody and other sanctions used only as a last resort. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 primarily exists to support rehabilitation and enable the employment of reformed offenders who have stayed on the right side of the law. The current criminal records system strikes a balance between the rights of the individual and the public’s right to protection.The government’s policy has previously been stated during submissions to the Justice Select Committee on 11th November 2016:http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/justice-committee/disclosure-of-youth-criminal-records/written/43085.html

Prisons: Construction

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how far away from residential properties are the planned new prisons at (a) Yorkshire, adjacent to HM Prison Full Sutton, (b) HM Young Offenders Institute Rochester and (c) HM Young Offenders Institute Hindley.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Prison SiteDistance (m) from centre of prison1Rochester330Hindley166Full Sutton2531 1 Distance from estimated centre of prison.2 Distance taken from centre of identified agricultural field.

Prisons: Wales

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with Natural Resources Wales on plans to build a prison on land in the Baglan Industrial Estate.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Ministry of Justice has had a number of discussions with relevant stakeholders relating to the development of the Baglan site in Port Talbot. Specifically, consultants, on behalf of the department, have been in contact with Natural Resource Wales to confirm the re-classification of the Baglan site from a C2 to a C1 classified site.(A C2 classified zone is described as areas of the floodplain without significant flood defence infrastructure. A C1 classified zone is described as areas of the floodplain which are developed and served by significant infrastructure, including flood defences.)

Magistrates: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) male and (b) female magistrates serve on the Warrington bench; and how many of those magistrates are resident (i) in each ward and (ii) outside that borough.

Dominic Raab: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Discrimination

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of trends in the levels of incidents of discrimination on grounds of race or religion reported by prisoners.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Our current policies allow for prisons to review and analyse trends at a local level. We are looking at our prisoner complaint processes including those relating to equality or discrimination issues in light of the recommendations of the Lammy Review into Race in the Criminal Justice System.

Personal Independence Payment: Wrexham

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time for personal independence payment tribunals in Wrexham constituency was in each of the last four years.

Dominic Raab: The information requested is set out in the table below.Year1Wrexham2 - PIP3 Average Clearance Times (weeks) 42016-201720.12015-201615.62014-201512.82013-201453.4 The table shows information in the financial year April to March.First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) appeals for Wrexham constituents are heard in the Wrexham venue. 3 Personal Independence Payment (New Claim Appeals), which replaced Disability Living Allowance, was introduced on 8 April 2013, and includes Personal Independence Claims (Reassessments). Average Clearance Time - time taken from appeal receipt to outcome. This includes both those cleared at hearing and those cleared without the need for a tribunal hearing. 5There was only one appeal disposed of in Wrexham in 2013/2014, and that was without the need for a tribunal hearing, as such the waiting time is not representative of average waiting times. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available.

National Probation Service for England and Wales: Pensions

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many probation staff have been affected by the administrative error by Shared Services on pension contributions; and whether he plans to compensate staff affected by that error.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will undertake a review of the performance of Shared Services within the probation service, including the incidence of pension contributions not being taken from probation staff.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the reasons for administrative errors made by shared services which has resulted in no pension contributions being taken from the salary of probation service staff.

Mr Sam Gyimah: There have been 2336 National Probation Staff who have been affected by the recent problems relating to pensions contributions. There are currently no plans to compensate these staff. There is a regular governance structure in relation to the provision of Shared Services, which reviews the service delivery of our provider, Shared Services Connected Limited to the Department. These mechanisms regularly review issues and incidents and have fully managed the recent issues in relation to pension contributions. These mechanisms have been effective in the management and closure of the defects. Following the migration of the departments HR and payroll data to the new cross government Single Operating Platform a small number of defects have been identified and corrected. These led to the under-collection of pension contributions for some staff. These have been corrected with the final correction being applied for inclusion in this month’s payroll and the full contributions have been paid to the pension scheme administrator. The contribution under collection only affected 4 types of overtime rate and 2 absence scheme calculations with the remaining payroll elements all being subject to the correct pensions deduction. The departments migration to the Single Operating Platform was subject to formal programme control and governance and these programme mechanisms have been used to resolve these issues.

Probation

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to create a task force to ensure HM Inspectorate Probation recommendations are implemented across the National Probation Service and 21 community rehabilitation companies.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We take recommendations from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMI Probation) very seriously. A dedicated unit was set up in Her Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) in the Summer of 2017 to coordinate implementation across the Department of all recommendations made by Inspectorates and other bodies in relation to offender services. This unit works with both the National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Companies to ensure that changes are implemented and progress monitored. As we set out to Parliament in July, to further strengthen the oversight of probation services we have provided additional funding to HMI Probation and are supporting them to introduce a new inspection framework from April 2018.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is for the reimbursement of employment tribunal fees; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Government said, following the Supreme Court’s judgment in the case of R (Unison) v the Lord Chancellor, that it would put in place as soon as possible arrangements to refund those people who had paid fees in the Employment Tribunals.We will announce the detailed arrangements shortly.

Reoffenders

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders have been recalled to prison in each year since 2007.

Mr Sam Gyimah: YearNumber of recalls2007/0813,2522008/0913,4672009/1015,0042010/1115,6312011/1216,5912012/1316,3072013/1417,5152014/1517,7012015/1622,4122016/1721,721 Data sources and qualityThe figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. Offenders on licence are subject to strict licence conditions and supervision. Anyone who is suspected of committing a further crime while on licence can be arrested and charged and, if convicted, given a further sentence. If the offence is serious, they can be remanded in custody until trial. Prisoners can also be recalled potentially to serve the rest of their sentence in prison if they breach the terms of their release. Shorter, fixed-term recalls are only issued when individuals do not pose a risk of serious harm to the public.

Reoffenders

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders who were recalled to prison in each year since 2007 were diagnosed with (a) alcohol misuse issues, (b) gambling addiction issues and (c) mental health issues.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We do not hold the information requested centrally and it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Debt Collection

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the collection rates were for warrants of control by HM Courts and Tribunals Service on Warrants of Control for each year since 2008.

Dominic Raab: HMCTS currently has a contract with a number of Approved Enforcement Agencies (AEAs) for the execution of criminal warrants and orders and this includes the warrants of control. The table below is the information recorded for the current contract which commenced in December 2009. This data is restricted to warrants of control relating to criminal cases only. These warrants are normally issued when all other sanctions have failed and AEAs are only paid on successful execution. All returned warrants are reviewed to consider alternative method of enforcement. The contract measure is for the number of warrants fully paid within 180 days of issue, shown in column three. Other payments will be made outside the 180 days but we do not have performance data on them. Approved Enforcement Agency Contract -Warrants of Control IssuedNumber Fully PaidExecuted Total Cash received per annum in 180 days2009/10553,72692,90618.67%£21,436,7002010/11564,116101,30319.63%£22,642,7342011/12652,427138,03623.59%£30,480,2542012/13675,431131,21522.37%£31,143,2552013/14647,642125,02023.10%£38,893,8412014/15736,663149,43724.98%£47,816,9672015/16598,224127,57826.26%£44,207,1562016/17590,649133,85026.68%£55,003,836

Arrest Warrants

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many warrants of arrest have been (a) issued by HM Courts and Tribunals Service and (b) executed by civilian enforcement officers in each of the last three years.

Dominic Raab: The table below illustrates the total numbers of arrest warrants issued to HMCTS Civilian Enforcement Officers, the police and the Approved Enforcement Agencies to be executed during each of the last three years. 2016/20172015/20162014/2015Financial arrest145,373207,322213,773Community Penalty Breach Warrant20,26616,73617,317Total165,639224,058231,090 It is not possible to identify and calculate how many of these warrants of arrest were specifically executed by civilian enforcement officers in any specific year without incurring disproportionate costs.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: EU Law

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's estimate is of the amount of EU legislation and regulation that can be incorporated into UK law without amendment.

Mark Lancaster: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert European Union law into UK law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit. This will ensure that, wherever possible, the same rules and laws will apply the day after exit as they did before.The Government is still making a detailed assessment of what corrections will be required to make that law function appropriately on exit day. The Department for Exiting the European Union are working closely with Departments across Government to ensure we make the changes required to deliver a functioning statute book on exit in the most efficient manner possible.

Defence: Mass Media

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the risks of online disinformation campaigns conducted by foreign powers which are aimed at UK citizens to defence and security interests.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence takes the threat posed by malicious disinformation campaigns by state and non-state actors very seriously. Working with allies and partners across Government, we monitor such activities closely, assess the risks and take action to counter them if appropriate.With hostile cyber activity being a major operational priority for both Defence and wider Government, we are fully committed to ensuring UK citizens and national security interests are protected. However we do not disclose specific details of such operations owing to the risk of compromising sensitive capabilities and techniques.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has any plans to review the personal independence payments assessment criteria.

Penny Mordaunt: There are no current plans to review the Personal Independence Payment assessment criteria.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an assessment rate for personal independence payments during the appeals process.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has undertaken a costings exercise on introducing an assessment rate for personal independence payments claimants during the appeals process.

Penny Mordaunt: No assessment or costings exercise has been made in relation to introducing an assessment rate for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) during the appeal process. As for other decisions in law, a PIP decision persists until such time as an appeal against the decision is concluded. As PIP can be paid at one of eight different rates this means that those appealing against a successful award continue to be paid the level of PIP awarded by the Secretary of State during the appeal process.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the (a) quality and (b) consistency in the delivery of personal independence payment assessments across the UK in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department has set standards for the quality of assessments which both Personal Independence Payment providers must meet, which the Department monitors. The standards require assessment providers to provide the Department’s Decision Makers with an assessment that is clear and medically reasonable.We are continually working with the assessment providers to further improve the quality of assessments including clinical coaching, feedback and support available to each assessor.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been spent defending appeals of personal independence payment decisions in (a) the UK, (b) Wales and (c) Aberavon in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Penny Mordaunt: The information is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the psychological effect that the personal independence payment assessment process is having on applicants.

Penny Mordaunt: We have consulted and engaged widely, and continue to do so, with disabled people, carers and representative organisations to ensure the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment process works smoothly and efficiently for all claimants, regardless of their condition or disability. The PIP assessment allows us to accurately and consistently assess individuals’ needs, ensuring that support is targeted at those disabled people who require the most assistance to lead independent lives. We do recognise that attending a face-to-face assessment can be a stressful experience for some people, which is why we do not carry out such consultations where there is enough existing evidence to carry out a paper-based assessment. Furthermore, where a face-to-face consultation is required, we encourage claimants to bring another person with them to consultations where they would find this helpful to, for example, reassure them or to help them during the consultation. The person chosen is at the discretion of the claimant and might be, but is not limited to, a parent, family member, friend, carer, or advocate. Where a face-to-face consultation is required, the Health Professional (HP) carrying it out will be a medically qualified professional and as such, will have the appropriate skills to enable them to deal with people in a supportive and sensitive way. HPs ensure that assessments are relaxed and unhurried, allowing the claimant time and encouraging them to explain in their own words how their health condition or disability impacts their ability to carry out the PIP activities. It is important that the consultation feels like a genuine two way conversation. In 2016 DWP commissioned Ipsos MORI to conduct independent research with PIP claimants covering all aspects of the PIP journey, from initial claim, the assessment process through to mandatory reconsideration and appeal. The first phase of the research, examining the initial claims process, was published in the Department’s research report series in March. Subsequent findings from stages two and three of the research, including findings on assessments, will be published in late 2017/early 2018 (date to be confirmed).

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the usefulness of the information provided to personal independence payment claimants on obtaining supporting evidence for their claims.

Penny Mordaunt: We currently send an information booklet to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants, which tells them about the types of supporting evidence it is helpful to provide with a claim, when we send the ‘How your disability affects you’ questionnaire for completion. However, we constantly look to review and improve the experience of people claiming PIP. We are currently considering the recommendations made in the second independent review of PIP (published on 30 March 2017) which included recommendations to improve our information regarding the provision of supporting evidence. We plan to respond to the review’s findings later this year.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects the next version of the personal independence payment assessment guide for assessment providers to be published.

Penny Mordaunt: The Personal Independence Payment Assessment Guide the Department’s guidance for Health Professionals is regularly updated. The next update is scheduled for this Autumn.

Personal Independence Payment: Complaints

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints were upheld in relation to the personal independence payment assessment process in (a) the UK, (b) Wales and (c) Aberavon in each of the last two years.

Penny Mordaunt: The number of complaints upheld in relation to the PIP assessment process in the last is as follows: Operational Year 15/16 (April 15 to March 2016) a) In the UK, 133 complaints were closed in relation to the PIP assessment process, of which 67 were upheld b) In Wales, 4 complaints were closed in relation to the PIP assessment process, of which 2 were upheld c) The DWP complaints system does not collect information at this level of detail  Operational Year 16/17 (April 2016 to March 2017) a) In the UK, 1345 complaints were closed in relation to the PIP assessment process, of which 545 were upheld b) In Wales, 506 complaints were closed in relation to the PIP assessment process, of which 206 were upheld c) The DWP complaints system does not collect information at this level of detail  Data provided for complaints closed and upheld within the 2015/216 and 2016/2017 operational years.

Personal Independence Payment: Complaints

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints were received in relation to the personal independence payment assessment process in (a) the UK, (b) Wales and (c) Aberavon in each of the last two years.

Penny Mordaunt: The total number of complaints received in relation to the PIP assessment process in each of the last two operational years is as follows: Operational Year 15/16 (April 15 to March 2016)a) In the UK a total of 142 complaints were logged against the PIP assessment process b) In Wales a total of 4 complaints were logged against PIP assessment process c) The DWP complaints system does not collect information at this level of detail.  Operational Year 16/17 (April 2016 to March 2017)a) In the UK a total of 1391 complaints were logged against the PIP assessment process b) In Wales a total of 519 complaints were logged against the PIP assessment process c) The DWP complaints system does not collect information at this level of detail.  Data provided for complaints received within the 2015/216 and 2016/2017 operational years.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many PIP2 forms were (a) completed and returned within the four week deadline, (b) completed and returned outside the four week deadline and (c) never returned in the last 12 months.

Penny Mordaunt: 473,000 claimants under Normal Rules returned their PIP2 questionnaire within 28 days and 350,000 claimants returned their questionnaire outside 28 days. A further 129,000 claimants were not recorded as having returned a PIP2 questionnaire. The status of claims as 'Normal Rules' is shown as at the point of the registration. It is possible for claims to transition between Normal/Special Rules during the course of the claimant journey. Special Rules for the Terminally Ill claimants are not required to complete PIP2 questionnaires. It should be noted that a PIP claimant is given one calendar month from the day after the date of issue to return the PIP2 questionnaire. Claimants who require additional time to complete and submit their PIP2 questionnaire are able to do so where that is reasonably required. The letter accompanying the PIP2 encourages claimants to contact the Department if they require more time.  Notes:Normal Rules only. Special Rules for the Terminally Ill claimants are not required to complete PIP2 questionnaires.The status of claims as 'normal rules' is shown as at the point of the registration. It is possible for claims to transition between normal/special rules and new claims/reassessments during the course of the claimant journey.The 'Issue of Part 2 to return of Part 2' clearance time is measured as the time between the date the Part 2 form is sent to the claimant and the date the form is received back by the Department as recorded on Department systems.Unpublished data which may be subject to revision and should be used with caution.Figures have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.Totals may not sum due to rounding.Great Britain only.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people with conditions that do not require face-to-face assessments for a personal independence payment application but are still being invited for one in the last 12 months.

Penny Mordaunt: Decisions on whether an assessment can be undertaken based on the paper evidence alone, or via a face to face consultation, are made by a Healthcare Professional on a case by case basis and are not dependent on a claimant’s condition, except for those people who are applying under the terminally ill provisions. Most people will be required to attend a face to face consultation except where there is sufficient existing information to carry out an assessment based on the paper evidence.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to commission a review of the evidence-gathering process for personal independence payments.

Penny Mordaunt: We constantly look to review and improve the experience of claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and committed to two, statutory independent reviews as part of the Welfare Reform Act 2012. The latest of these reviews, led by Paul Gray, was published on 30 March 2017: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-pip-assessment-second-independent-review As part of the review Paul Gray considered how effectively further evidence is being used to assist the correct claim decision, and the speed and effectiveness of information-gathering. We are currently considering the review’s findings and plan to respond later this year. In 2016 DWP commissioned Ipsos MORI to conduct independent research with PIP claimants covering all aspects of the PIP journey, from initial claim, the assessment process through to mandatory reconsideration and appeal. The first phase of the research, examining the initial claims process, was published in the Department’s research report series in March 2017. Subsequent findings from stages two and three of the research, including findings on assessments and decisions, will be published in late 2017/early 2018 (date to be confirmed).

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the usefulness of the PIP2 form in collecting information about a claimant's conditions.

Penny Mordaunt: The PIP2 questionnaire was designed to allow claimants to tell us, in their own words, how their health condition or disability impacts them on a day-to-day basis. The questionnaire has a mixture of tick boxes and free text boxes allowing claimants to add as much or as little detail as they wish. Recent research[1] carried out by Ipsos MORI found that 85 per cent of claimants were able to complete all sections of the questionnaire and only four per cent were unable to do so. The research also shows that 63 per cent of claimants found completing the questionnaire as easy or easier than expected.However, we constantly look to review and improve the experience of people claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP). We are currently considering the recommendations made in the second independent review of Personal Independence Payment (published on 30 March 2017) which included recommendations to improve our communications for claimants. We plan to respond to the review’s findings later this year.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-evaluation-wave-1-claimant-survey-findings

Access to Work Programme

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to promote Access to Work.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on (a) the Access to Work scheme and (b) promoting that scheme in each of the last three years.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications were (a) made to the Access to Work scheme and (b) how many of those applications were successful in (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales in each of the last five years.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the most recent breakdown is of different disabilities and conditions for those who receive Access to Work assistance.

Penny Mordaunt: Although our approach has primarily been to work with Remploy and other partners and charities, using their effective networks and channels to reach potential recipients, we have also incurred some expenditure in marketing the scheme and the figures are set out below. We have also worked extensively to promote the Access to Work Scheme via Disability confident with stakeholders and partners such as the impairment specific charities and health practitioners. Promotion of the Access to Work Scheme YearSpend2014/15£02015/16£3,9602016/17£9,639 The most recent published statistics show that the number of people who had any Access to Work provision approved in 2016/17 increased by nearly 8% from 2015/16. Access to work remains a demand led programme but the figures relating to the overall Access to Work spend are set out in the additional table below. Spend on the Access to Work Scheme   2014/152015/162016/17Total Access to Work programme spend£97.0m£96m£104mAssociated admin costs£8m£7.0m£8mGrand total£105m£103m£112m Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £m.  Our most recent official experimental statistics that providea breakdown of different disabilities and conditions for the number of people who had Access to Work provision approved can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics.Finally, the information relating to how many applications were made and successful in England, Scotland and Wales in the last five years is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics.

Jobcentres: Sheffield

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the costs of relocation and refurbishment at Cavendish Court Jobcentre as part of the current jobcentre closure programme.

Damian Hinds: We are not in a position to share figures due to commercial confidentiality pending completion of legal processes. We expect to make savings by merging offices through reduced running costs and making best use of both office space available and taxpayer’s money.

Employment: Disability

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of disabled people in work; and whether his Department is planning to set targets.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government is committed to improving employment outcomes for disabled people. The manifesto commitment underpins this with a clear and time-bound goal to see 1 million more disabled people into work over the next 10 years. Since quarter 1 2016, the number of working aged disabled people in employment has increased by over 170,000 to 3.5 million in quarter 1 2017. The disability employment rate has increased by over 2 percentage points and now stands at 49 per cent. We know that there is much more that needs to be done, so that everyone who can work is given the right support and opportunities to do so. This Autumn we intend to set out our next steps following last year’s Improving Lives: Work, Health and Disability Green Paper and the consultation that followed this.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many reports of incorrect universal credit awards investigated by HM Revenue and Customs and his Department Jointly Managed Engagement Team have been found attributable to Real Time Information data.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many reports of incorrect universal credit awards have been investigated by HM Revenue and Customs and his Department Jointly Managed Engagement Team.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Access to Work Programme

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Access to Work reassessments have been conducted in each year since 2009-10.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who received support from the Access to Work scheme were assessed but did not receive an element for each year since 2009-10.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many awards for Access to Work were (a) stopped and (b) reduced at review in each year since 2009-10.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of Access to Work awards was for each year since 2009-10.

Penny Mordaunt: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. We have recently published the following statistics on the number of people who have had Access to Work provision approved: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-to-work-statistics. These statistics have been developed using guidelines set out by the UK Statistics Authority and are new official statistics undergoing development. They have therefore been designated as experimental statistics. We plan to publish these statistics on an annual basis and will explore the feasibility of expanding their scope to cover other parts of the Access to Work customer journey such as Access to Work payments. Users are invited to comment on the development and relevance of these statistics at this stage and can send feedback to: access.toworkstatistics@dwp.gsi.gov.uk. Your questions above will also be considered as part of the development of the statistics.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8578, when he plans to complete the analysis of various trade scenarios on UK agriculture as part of his planning for the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice: We are conducting rigorous analysis of various trade scenarios on UK agriculture as part of our planning. This analysis will be ongoing, helping to develop a detailed understanding of how withdrawing from the EU will impact on the UK to best inform government policy going forward.

Animal Welfare: EU Law

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his oral contribution of 20 July 2017, HC Deb col 627, if he will ensure that Article 13 is carried over into UK law.

George Eustice: The EU (Withdrawal) Bill will convert the existing body of direct EU animal welfare laws to become UK laws. Most of these EU laws relate to farmed animals and many were passed after Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) came into effect. Article 13 of the TFEU created a qualified obligation on the EU and EU Member States “to have full regard to the welfare of animals [as they are sentient beings]” when formulating and implementing certain EU laws. We are exploring how the ‘animal sentience’ principle of Article 13 can continue to be reflected in the UK when we leave the EU. The UK has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world and our ambition is not only to maintain but enhance these standards.

Bees: Neonicotinoids

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research his Department has recently conducted into the effects of neonicotinoids on the health of the UK bee population.

George Eustice: Defra has supported a range of research relevant to improving understanding of the effects of neonicotinoids (and other pesticides) on bees. Recently completed work includes studies on: quantifying the exposure of bumblebees to neonicotinoids and mixtures of pesticides (commenced 2013), interpreting pesticide residues in honeybees (published 2015), using radio-frequency identification devices to assess effects of pesticides on foraging bees (commenced 2013), and protection goals for bee colonies (commenced 2015).

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of dog breeding premises operating without a licence.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of unlicensed (a) dog breeding and (b) pet shops in the UK.

George Eustice: Defra does not hold official statistics on the number of dog breeders and pet shops operating without a licence. Defra is currently in the process of developing a new single animal activities licensing regime. The regulations will be laid in Parliament before they come into force next year. The new regime will reduce the threshold by which people will need a dog breeding licence from five litters or more per year to three litters or more per year. This should result in more dog breeders requiring a licence. The new regime will make it clear for local authorities which individual activities need to be licensed.

Fisheries: North Sea

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2017 to Question 5217, how the Government plans for bycatch fish species identified in the European Council of Ministers' General Approach to the North Sea Multi Annual Plan to be restored to and maintained above biomass levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yield in the event that fishing limits are not set in accordance with the Common Fisheries Policy objective to achieve the maximum sustainable yield exploitation rate by 2020 at the latest.

George Eustice: Where Maximum Sustainable Yield targets cannot be determined, due to lack of data, multiannual plans must provide for measures to be based on the precautionary approach. The Government’s view is that the precautionary approach should be strictly evidence-based, with such data-limited bycatch stocks managed on a case-by-case basis and in line with the plans’ objectives. For stocks with a presumption of stability we have supported maintaining TACs at current levels, unless scientific advice suggests otherwise. Where possible we support moving to a full analytical assessment that would enable TACs to be based on the MSY approach.

Pets: Shops

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to introduce a standardised form of inspection for pet shops and dog breeders.

George Eustice: Defra is currently in the process of developing a new single animal activities licensing regime. The regulations will be laid in Parliament before they come into force next year. Pet shops and dog breeders will need to meet statutory minimum welfare standards which reflect the welfare requirements of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Local authorities will need to have regard to supporting statutory guidance to help them apply the standards.

Marine Conservation Zones

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to (a) monitor and (b) measure the effect of maritime conservation zones on ecological recovery; and if such plans will include reference areas.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee) provide assessments of Marine Protected Areas every 6 years. The next report is due next year. In addition to this, Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities and the Marine Management Organisation are putting in place Monitoring Control Plans that measure the effectiveness of management measures in furthering the conservation objectives of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). There are no “reference areas” designated.

Animal Welfare: Convictions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people have been convicted of animal cruelty in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: The number of offenders found guilty of offences under Sections 4 to 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, in England and Wales, from 2012 to 2016, can be viewed in the table below: Offenders found guilty at all courts of animal cruelty offences (1), England and Wales, 2012 to 2016 (2)(3)201220132014201520161,1321,022814622585 Defined as Sections 4-8 Animal Welfare Act 2006The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Animal Welfare: Prosecutions

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many investigations into unlicensed (a) dog breeding and (b) pet shops have led to a prosecution in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: Twenty defendants were proceeded against at magistrates’ courts for offences under Breeding and Sale of Dogs Act from 2012 to 2016. Of these, one defendant is listed as being a pet shop.Twenty-four defendants were proceeded against for offences related to failing to comply with the conditions of a pet shop licence.These figures relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same penalty is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: EU Law

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's estimate is of the amount of EU legislation and regulation that can be incorporated into UK law without amendment.

George Eustice: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert European Union law into UK law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit. This will ensure that, wherever possible, the same rules and laws will apply the day after exit as they did before. The Government is undertaking a detailed assessment of what corrections will be required to make that law function appropriately on exit day. The Department for Exiting the European Union is working closely with departments across Government to ensure we make the changes required to deliver a functioning statute book on exit in the most efficient manner possible. Based on our analysis so far, we have identified a need to correct around 850 out of 1200 pieces of Defra-owned legislation as a result of EU exit. Based on current assumptions, we envisage it would require around 100 Statutory Instruments.

Birds: Conservation

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 11 of the RSPB's Reserves 2012 report, what information his Department holds on the population of priority bird species on RSPB reserves since 2012.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra does not hold information on the population of priority bird species on RSPB reserves.

Plastics: Seas and Oceans

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Government has made on international steps to tackle plastic pollution in the oceans; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: At the recent Our Ocean conference the UK made several voluntary commitments to help tackle marine plastic pollution. These included signing up to the UN’s Clean Seas campaign, the Global Partnership on Marine Litter and the Global Ghost Gear Initiative. These programmes aim to transform habits, practices, standards and policies around the globe to reduce marine plastic pollution and the harm it causes.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2017 to Question 5177, how many case workers have been allocated to work with (a) Grenfell Tower survivors and (b) members of the local community affected by that fire.

Alok Sharma: As of 12 October 2017, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has 168 caseworkers supporting 457 cases, of which 133 cases are survivors from Grenfell Tower. Some families may have more than one caseworker.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the fire resistance of residential tower blocks that are (a) under construction or (b) due to begin construction soon in light of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 13 September 2017



Tower blocks that are currently under construction or are due to begin construction will be subject to Building Regulations. As such their design will be assessed and then the work will be inspected by independent building control bodies. The Department has commissioned and published the results of a series of BS8414 external wall system fire tests in order to improve the evidence available to developers and building control bodies in determining reasonable compliance with relevant Building Regulations. The test results and commentary from the Expert Panel advising Government can be found at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/building-safety-programmehttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/643281/Update_and_consolidated_advice_for_building_owners_following_large-scale_testing.pdf

Right to Buy Scheme

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what right to buy receipts local authorities have paid to the Exchequer in (a) capital receipts, (b) interest accrued and (c) any other relevant amount in each financial year from 2012-13.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 14 September 2017



I refer the Rt Hon Member for Wentworth and Dearne to the answer given on 21 February 2017 to Question UIN 64700.Receipts for quarters 3 and 4 of 2016-17 amount to £103,530,926**This is a provisional figure and therefore subject to change.

Planning Permission: Prosecutions

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of prosecutions that have been brought for unacceptable breach of planning control in the last 12 months.

Alok Sharma: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts in 2016 for enforcement offences (for which information is held centrally) under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, can be viewed in the table attached. This information is held by the Ministry of Justice.



defendants proceeded against 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 30 KB)

Local Government Finance

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing the settlement for local government in the next budget.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of local government matters, including finances.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Contracts

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what proportion of prime contractors his Department paid their sub-contractors within 30 days in each of the last 24 months.

Mr Marcus Jones: This information is not held centrally. However where a contractor enters into a sub-contract, for the purpose of performing its obligations under the contract, a term is included in such sub-contract. The term requires payment to be made by the contractor to the sub-contractor within a specified period not exceeding 30 days from receipt of a valid invoice as defined by the sub-contract.

Mayors: Sheffield

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the salary of the proposed Sheffield City Region Mayor will be.

Jake Berry: Mayoral remuneration will be a matter for Sheffield City Region to decide and to give consent to the secondary legislation necessary for any such remuneration to be paid.

Wales Office

UK Trade with EU: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect on each sector of the Welsh economy of changes in the UK's participation in the single market over the next 10 years.

Alun Cairns: The Department for Exiting the European Union, working with officials across Government, is undertaking a wide range of analysis covering the entirety of the UK economy in order to support negotiations. We are looking at over 50 sectors as well as cross-cutting regulatory issues. As Parliament has agreed, we will not publish anything that would undermine our ability to negotiate the best deal for the United Kingdom. The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales will continue to work with other Government departments, and the Welsh Government, to support the Welsh economy and promote a prosperous Wales within a strong United Kingdom.

HM Treasury

Taxation

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many criminal investigations have been initiated by HM Revenue and Customs against individuals suspected of being involved with tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Mel Stride: The information requested is set out below. These figures do not include operations where HMRC is not aware of a clear and definitive link to tax evasion. 2012/13- 1159 operations initiated2013/14- 905 operations initiated2014/15-1087 operations initiated2015/16- 822 operations initiated2016/17- 919 operations initiated

Tax Evasion: Prosecutions

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many individuals have been prosecuted for offshore tax evasion in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Mel Stride: The total number of successful prosecutions of offshore tax evasion, for the 5 years from 2012/13 to 2016/17, is 20. These resulted in over 58 years of custodial sentences and 12 years of suspended sentences.HM Revenue and Customs is not itself a prosecuting authority. All prosecutions must be authorised by the relevant independent prosecuting authority, which for England and Wales would be the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS); for Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS); and for NI, the Public Prosecution Service for NI, (PPSNI).

Debts

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, by what date the Government plans to introduce a statutory breathing space scheme for household debt.

Stephen Barclay: The government’s manifesto proposed implementing a statutory Breathing Space, lasting for a period of up to six weeks, for severely indebted individuals. Breathing Space is a complex issue, and it is of the upmost importance we get the policy right. Work is on-going and the government will set out its plans for taking the proposal forward in due course.

Treasury: EU Law

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's estimate is of the amount of EU legislation and regulation that can be incorporated into UK law without amendment.

Andrew Jones: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert European Union law into UK law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit. This will ensure that, wherever possible, the same rules and laws will apply the day after exit as they did before. The Government is still making a detailed assessment of what corrections will be required to make that law function appropriately on exit day. The Department for Exiting the European Union are working closely with departments across Government to ensure we make the changes required to deliver a functioning statute book on exit in the most efficient manner possible.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the amount of revenue lost by the Exchequer due to the sale of illicit tobacco in the UK in the last year for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: Estimates of the Tobacco illicit market share for years up to 2015-16 are published online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tobacco-tax-gap-estimatesEstimates for 2016-17 will be published at 9:30am on 26th October 2017.

Gaming Machines: Tax Yields

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, in which year there were first references in his Department's publications to actual and anticipated public revenues from the use of fixed-odds betting terminals in high street premises; and if he will estimate the public revenues in each of the last 15 years, together with the estimates for the next three years, if the maximum stake on such terminals were (a) £2, (b) £5, (c) £10, (d) £20 and (e) £100.

Andrew Jones: Total receipts from Betting and Gaming duties are published here:https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx A separate breakdown for revenue from Fixed Odds Betting Terminals is not available.

Employment

Mr David Lammy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of supply chain jobs in the UK supported by (a) High Speed 2, (b) Heathrow expansion, (c) Hinkley Point nuclear power station and (d) Crossrail 2.

Elizabeth Truss: The contracts announced in July for Phase One of High Speed 2 will support 16,000 jobs in Britain and will create opportunities for thousands of SMEs. In total, construction of the full HS2 route to the north-west and Yorkshire will create up to 25,000 jobs and 2,000 apprenticeships. Another 3,000 people will operate HS2 and it is estimated that growth around new HS2 stations will create another 100,000 jobs. With regard to Heathrow airport, the final report of the Airports Commission stated that “expansion could generate 59-77,000 additional direct, indirect and induced jobs.” HM Treasury has made no recent estimate of the number of supply chain jobs in the UK supported by Hinkley Point C nuclear power station or the Crossrail 2 proposal. Such estimates are often undertaken by schemes’ promoters.

Economic Situation

Matthew Pennycook: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has reviewed the economic modelling that underpinned his Department's paper, The long-term economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives, published on 18 April 2016; and what the conclusions were of that review.

Stephen Barclay: The Government has undertaken a significant amount of work to assess the economic impacts of leaving the EU. This is part of our continued programme of analytical work on a range of scenarios on a sector by sector basis. We are seeking the best deal possible and the work being done reflects this.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Arms Length External Organisations

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of new arms-length bodies his Department plans to establish once the UK has left the EU.

Chris Skidmore: The UK’s relationship with the EU's agencies upon exit will be evaluated in light ofdelivering the twelve objectives outlined by the Prime Minister to achieve a deep andspecial partnership between the UK and the EU. The UK’s future relationship with the EU'sdecentralised bodies after leaving the EU is a matter for the negotiations.

Government Departments: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to figure 7 on page 24 of the National Audit Office's report, Progress on the government estate strategy (HC 1131), published on 25 April 2017, what the evidential basis is for the number of jobs created.

Caroline Nokes: Projects delivered under the One Public Estate programme deliver a range of benefits, including the creation of jobs. To attribute a benefit to the programme, an OPE partnership must submit evidence that a benefit has been delivered. For example, the evidence base for the creation of jobs can include:1) an economic impact assessment supporting a planning application2) a construction plan3) an extract from the tender for a building contractThis is not an exhaustive list of suitable evidence. One Public Estate works with OPE partnerships to use the most suitable means of determining jobs created, dependent on the nature of individual projects.

Government Departments: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 44 of the National Audit Office's report, Progress on the government estate strategy, HC1131, published on 25 April 2017, what the range of smaller initiatives is that is intended to bring financial benefits in the New Property Model by the Government Property Unit; and what the estimated financial benefit is of each such initiative.

Caroline Nokes: A full business case which contains the financial benefits is currently being developed and has yet to be agreed.

Local Government: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will review the grounds for the requirement for council candidates to publish their home address on ballot papers.

Chris Skidmore: The Government recognises that the existing requirements in relation to the publication orotherwise of candidates’ home addresses vary across different pollsIn their report just published on the General Election 2017, the AEA recommends that theoption for candidates to restrict publication of their home address be extended to all pollsWe will respond to this report in due courseI also refer the member to my answer made in debate, on 14 September 2017, Volume628, Column 1083.

Electronic Voting

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing proposals for secure online voting for elections.

Chris Skidmore: The selection of elected representatives for Parliament is regarded as requiring the highest possible level of integrity. At present, there are concerns that e-Voting may not be suitably rigorous and secure and could be vulnerable to attack or fraud. The Conservative Party stated in its manifesto a commitment to paper voting. There are no plans to introduce proposals for online voting for elections.

Electoral Registration Officers: Finance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for electoral registration officers.

Chris Skidmore: The majority of electoral registration activity is funded by local authorities across England,Scotland and Wales. Since 2014 the Cabinet Office has provided funding to LAs to coverthe additional costs generated by the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration,including a second bidding round after the canvass if initial funding is insufficient to covercosts incurred over the year.

Polling Stations

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to codify the roles and responsibilities of tellers at polling stations.

Chris Skidmore: Guidance on the roles and responsibilities of tellers is already produced by the ElectoralCommission. Tellers must also act in accordance with any further guidance provided bythe relevant Returning Officer or their staff. There are currently no plans to put suchguidance on a statutory footing.

Electoral Register

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the timetable is to bring forward proposals on the registration of people in (i) universities, (ii) colleges, (iii) residential care homes and (iv) houses in multiple occupation.

Chris Skidmore: The Government intends to publish a democratic engagement strategy addressingregistration issues in late 2017.

Electoral Register: Fraud

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the timetable is to bring forward proposals to tackle duplicate voter registrations.

Chris Skidmore: The Cabinet Office is committed to finding an appropriate approach to reducing the burden of duplicate applications while ensuring that unnecessary barriers to registration are avoided. The fact that millions of people have taken the step of applying to register online shows it was right to introduce the website as part of Individual Electoral Registration.We have already taken steps to limit unnecessary duplicate applications to register. For example during the recent general election we added a new page to the website to guide people away from making applications when they did not need to.

Absent Voting

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an attestation arrangement for postal vote applications requiring a signature waiver.

Chris Skidmore: Sir Eric Pickles’ review of Electoral Fraud, published in August 2016, recommendedintroducing an attestation requirement for postal vote applications requiring a signaturewaiverThe Government supports this recommendation and will be seeking to consider, inconjunction with the Association of Electoral Administrators and the Electoral Commission,how this might be implemented in due course.

Ballot Papers

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing the absolute requirement to count unused ballot papers as a part of the verification process and replacing that requirement with a requirement to do so only where the returning officer considers it appropriate.

Chris Skidmore: We consider elections processes and policy on an ongoing basis, and are working with theAssociation of Electoral Administrators and Electoral Commission to consider thedevelopment and improvement of existing processes, including in relation to theprocedures for the counting of votes at elections.

Ballots

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will conduct a review of the combination of polls which includes an assessment of (a) which polls should be automatically combined, (b) the maximum number of polls that should be combined on the same day and (c) the potential merits of combining polls for parish and community councils and neighbouring planning and council tax referendums with UK Parliamentary general elections.

Chris Skidmore: Combining polls can bring benefits in terms of enhancing voter participation and reducing cost. However, it is recognised that changing the rules surrounding the combination of polls would be a complex exercise involving amendments to primary legislation. We will continue to consider this matter with stakeholders to see where improvements can be made.

Elections: Finance

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that expenses claims submitted to the Election Claims Unit are audited and settled within six months of their receipt.

Chris Skidmore: Returning Officers have six months in which to submit an account of spending on a pollfunded from the Consolidated Fund. The vast majority of these claims are received by theECU in the last month before the deadline. This raises an issue with processing theclaims, many of which require significant work, within six months of receipt, including howquickly queries on a claim are responded to by Returning OfficersWe are looking at the process with the Association of Electoral Administrators to identifyhow it may best be operated.

Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Law Commissioners proposals of February 2016, on reforming electoral laws, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals for a single Electoral Administration Act.

Chris Skidmore: We will continue to work with the Law Commission, as well as other stakeholders such as the Electoral Commission, on how best to implement the recommendations of its review of electoral law.

Constituencies

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of giving (a) electoral registration officers the responsibility for the subdivision of UK parliamentary constituencies into polling districts and (b) returning officers the responsibility for the designation of polling places within those districts.

Chris Skidmore: We consider that the current arrangements, whereby local authorities are responsible fordesignating polling places and carrying out reviews, ensure that there is a clear andconsistent approach, and clear lines of accountability, in the designation of polling districtsand places. There are no plans to change these existing arrangements.

Constituencies

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to end the Boundary Commission's review of constituency boundaries.

Chris Skidmore: The current boundary review is proceeding in accordance with legislation passed in the2010-15 Parliament under which the four Boundary Commissions are required to submittheir final reports in September 2018These reforms will ensure fair and equal representation for the voting public across theUnited Kingdom.

Oesophageal Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer aged between (a) 20 to 40, (b) 40 to 60 and (c) over 60 in each of the last five years.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. Ihave asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 119.15 KB)

Temporary Employment

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the workforce are on permanent agency contracts in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) the UK.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) the UK are employed by agencies using the Swedish derogation.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of those employed by agencies in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) the UK are employed under the Swedish derogation.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. Ihave asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 65.3 KB)

Zero Hours Contracts

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average number of hours worked a week was on a zero-hours contract in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) the UK in the last 12 months.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people worked on zero-hours contracts in the UK in each of the last seven years.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the workforce operate on zero-hours contracts in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) the UK.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. Ihave asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 165.9 KB)

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of people have received fixed penalty notices for failing to register on the electoral register in each local authority area since June 2014.

Chris Skidmore: The Cabinet Office does not hold any information about the number of fixed penaltynotices issued relating to electoral registration. The issuing of fixed penalty notices is atthe discretion of individual Electoral Registration Officers, without the involvement ofcentral Government.

Constituencies

Jim McMahon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost to the public purse to date is of the Boundary Commission for England's 2018 Review.

Chris Skidmore: The cost to the public purse of the Boundary Commission for England’s 2018 Review to date is £3.3 million.

Department for International Trade

Exports: EU Countries

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the (a) value and (b) proportion of manufactured (i) goods and (ii) services exported to other EU countries was by each nation and region of the UK in each of the last three years.

Mark Garnier: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 18 October 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The information asked for is available from the sources listed below. Data is made available by value (£, current prices, not constant prices) of which proportions can be calculated. i) Data on the value of UK goods exports to EU countries are available from the ‘Build Your Own Tables’ tool in HMRC’s Overseas Trade Statistics database. Manufacturing goods are defined as Standard Industrial Trade Classification (SITC) codes 5-8. https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/BuildYourOwnTables/Pages/Table.aspx ii) Data on the value of UK services exports to selected EU countries and the EU as a bloc, by type of service, are available from the ONS Pink Book 2014, 2015 and 2016 publicationshttps://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/adhocs/006656balanceofpaymentsannualgeographicaldatatables/2015updateddetailedgeographictradedata.xls (Table 9 - Data for 2015) https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/datasets/9geographicalbreakdownofthecurrentaccountthepinkbook2016/thepinkbook/pinkbook2016chapter9.xls (Table 9.10 - Data for 2014) http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160106022154/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bop/united-kingdom-balance-of-payments/2015/rft-chapter-09.xls (Table 9.10 - Data for 2013)iii) Data on the value of goods exports from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions to EU countries are available from the ‘Build Your Own Tables’ tool in HMRC’s Regional Trade Statistics database. Manufacturing goods are defined as Standard Industrial Trade Classification (SITC) codes 5-8 https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/BuildYourOwnTables/Pages/Table.aspx iv) Data on the value of services exports from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions to EU countries, by type of service, are available from the ONS’s International Trade in Services (ITIS) experimental statistics release. This covers all services sectors, except banking, travel and transport: https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/internationaltrade/articles/estimatingthevalueofserviceexportsabroadfromdifferentpartsoftheuk/2015 For previous years’ data please see the following: https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/internationaltrade/articles/estimatingthevalueofserviceexportsabroadfromdifferentpartsoftheuk/2011to2015 Note: HMRC and ONS data are not directly comparable, as HMRC trade in goods data are calculated on the basis of goods crossing the customs border, whereas ONS trade in services data are based on a change in ownership.

Mark Garnier: The information asked for is available from the sources listed below. Data is made available by value (£, current prices, not constant prices) of which proportions can be calculated. i) Data on the value of UK goods exports to EU countries are available from the ‘Build Your Own Tables’ tool in HMRC’s Overseas Trade Statistics database. Manufacturing goods are defined as Standard Industrial Trade Classification (SITC) codes 5-8. https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/BuildYourOwnTables/Pages/Table.aspx ii) Data on the value of UK services exports to selected EU countries and the EU as a bloc, by type of service, are available from the ONS Pink Book 2014, 2015 and 2016 publicationshttps://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/adhocs/006656balanceofpaymentsannualgeographicaldatatables/2015updateddetailedgeographictradedata.xls (Table 9 - Data for 2015) https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/datasets/9geographicalbreakdownofthecurrentaccountthepinkbook2016/thepinkbook/pinkbook2016chapter9.xls (Table 9.10 - Data for 2014) http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160106022154/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bop/united-kingdom-balance-of-payments/2015/rft-chapter-09.xls (Table 9.10 - Data for 2013)iii) Data on the value of goods exports from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions to EU countries are available from the ‘Build Your Own Tables’ tool in HMRC’s Regional Trade Statistics database. Manufacturing goods are defined as Standard Industrial Trade Classification (SITC) codes 5-8 https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/BuildYourOwnTables/Pages/Table.aspx iv) Data on the value of services exports from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions to EU countries, by type of service, are available from the ONS’s International Trade in Services (ITIS) experimental statistics release. This covers all services sectors, except banking, travel and transport: https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/internationaltrade/articles/estimatingthevalueofserviceexportsabroadfromdifferentpartsoftheuk/2015 For previous years’ data please see the following: https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/internationaltrade/articles/estimatingthevalueofserviceexportsabroadfromdifferentpartsoftheuk/2011to2015 Note: HMRC and ONS data are not directly comparable, as HMRC trade in goods data are calculated on the basis of goods crossing the customs border, whereas ONS trade in services data are based on a change in ownership.

Department for International Trade: EU Law

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what his Department's estimate is of the amount of EU legislation and regulation that can be incorporated into UK law without amendment.

Greg Hands: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert European Union law into UK law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit. This will ensure that, wherever possible, the same rules and laws will apply the day after exit as they did before.The Government is still making a detailed assessment of what corrections will be required to make that law function appropriately on exit day. The Department for International Trade, alongside other departments across government, is working closely with the Department for Exiting the European Union to ensure we make the changes required to deliver a functioning statute book on exit in the most efficient manner possible.

Multinational Companies

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when he plans to publish the findings of his Department's review of the UK National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

Greg Hands: The National Contact Point (NCP) is currently considering the findings of the review. In line with the terms of reference, the key findings will be published on the NCP website later this year following consultation with the NCP Steering Board.

UK Export Finance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, for what reasons UK Export Finance can only lend for periods up to 10 years; by what legal authority the OECD imposes that lending restriction; what assessment he has made of the UK's trade position compared with that of international competitors as a result of that restriction; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The UK government supports a rules-based approach to international trade. The OECD Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits (the Arrangement) is an important agreement to ensure that exporters compete on price and quality and not the terms of government supported finance. It is binding on the UK as it is incorporated into UK law.UK Export Finance can support lending of up to 18 years for certain projects, in line with the terms of the Arrangement, including its sector understandings. This is consistent with OECD competitors including France, Germany and the USA.

Department for International Trade: Trade Agreements

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many officials employed in his Department as of 12 October 2017 have substantial experience of international trade negotiations.

Greg Hands: Holding answer received on 18 October 2017



The Department for International Trade has a strong and capable trade policy team which has grown significantly since its establishment in July 2016 and is continuing to grow.We continue to hire the brightest and best talent from within the UK civil service and externally, in order to build a world class trade policy team that can deliver the best outcomes for the UK.Internationally recognised expert Crawford Falconer is now in post as DIT’s Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser and Second Permanent Secretary.Mr Falconer will support the establishment of a world-class trade negotiation function and lead the development of the International Trade profession for trade negotiators. He has more than 25 years of public service experience in trade and foreign affairs.

Department for International Trade: Trade Agreements

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many officials employed in his Department in June 2016 had substantial experience of international trade negotiation.

Greg Hands: I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave her today, UIN: 107364.

Exports

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the UK is on course to meet the target to export £1 billion of goods and services by 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Garnier: Holding answer received on 18 October 2017



We remain committed to increasing UK exports around the world. Following the creation of the Department for International Trade (DIT), and the establishment of a network of 9 overseas Trade Commissioners, we are reviewing our performance metrics to ensure they remain fit for purpose in an evolving landscape.We will use our world leading digital offer to equip exporters with the tools they need to take advantage of a world of opportunity, and use DIT’s presence in 108countries to promote British products and services, whilst removing trade barriers and increasing market access.

Foreign Investment in UK

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral contribution of the hon. Member for Sefton Central of 12 October 2017, Official Report, column 428, what the value of investments which (a) his Department's venture capital team and (b) the Invest in Great Britain and Northern Ireland digital investment service have secured for UK businesses have been in the last year for which data is available.

Mark Garnier: Holding answer received on 18 October 2017



Between 1st April 2016 and 31st March 2017, the Venture Capital Unit within the Department of International Trade secured £144.3m of direct equity investment into UK businesses.The Invest in Great Britain and Northern Ireland global marketing campaign launched at the end of January 2017 is generating new leads to our inward investment project pipeline. It is therefore too early to provide data on the value of investments.

Trade Fairs: Investment

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral contribution of the hon. Member for Sefton Central of 12 October 2017, Official Report, column 428, what the cost was to his Department was of bringing international delegates to Innovate 2016 in Manchester.

Mark Garnier: Holding answer received on 18 October 2017



The Department’s Northern Powerhouse team brought a total of 63 delegates from 22 countries to Innovate 2016, held in Manchester, at a cost of £73,363.87. This cost included flights, hotels and a bespoke programme of activity across the North to showcase key capabilities and opportunities to investors.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Telecommunications: EU Law

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to implement the European Electronic Communications Code in the event that it becomes EU law (a) before any transitional period, (b) during any transition period and (c) after the UK leaves the EU.

Matt Hancock: The European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) is still being negotiated within the EU. Trilogues have not yet even begun and therefore it is too early to say when the EECC will be adopted by the EU.While the UK is still a ​Member ​State of the EU​, the UK will act in accordance with ​our rights and obligations associated with this.​

Commercial Broadcasting: Radio

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on commercial radio deregulation before the November 2017 Parliamentary recess.

Matt Hancock: The commercial radio deregulation consultation closed on 8 May 2017. We intend on publishing the government response in due course.

House of Commons Commission

Elizabeth Tower: Repairs and Maintenance

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what material has been used in the scaffolding for the renovation work on the Elizabeth Tower; and what the country of origin was of that material.

Tom Brake: A modular scaffolding system is being used for the refurbishment of the Elizabeth Tower. A UK sub-contractor is erecting the modular system, which is made from high tensile galvanised steel supplied from Germany, through a UK-based company.The modular scaffolding system is supported by a steelwork gantry. The steelwork for the gantry has been procured through a UK manufacturer (Sir Robert McAlpine’s sub-contractor). The origin of the majority of the steel is British, but due to the quantity and size of the components required it has been necessary to source some steel from overseas suppliers, including in Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.All of the steelwork structures have been assembled in the UK.

Department of Health

Health Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the findings of the Lancet article, entitled How will Brexit affect health and health services in the UK? Evaluating three possible scenarios, published in September 2017; and whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on those implications.

Mr Philip Dunne: In the face of growing demand the National Health Service has record funding, so we have more doctors and more nurses on our wards. Ahead of this winter, the NHS has planned earlier and more thoroughly than ever before, supported by an extra £100 millon for accident and emergency departments and £2 billion funding for the social care system.The Government is committed to a world-class NHS, which is why we are backing it with at least an extra £8 billion investment by 2022 and are focused on getting a Brexit deal that is in the best interests of the economy, citizens and patients.The Department, through the Secretary of State, other Ministers and senior officials, are in regular contact with the Department for Exiting the European Union on all health and social care matters in relation to Brexit.

Medical Equipment

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the supply of medical devices to NHS patients in the event that there is no transitional period prior to the UK leaving the EU during which to implement changes in EU law made before or during such a transitional period.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Office of Life Sciences, and the Department for Exiting the European Union are leading our work in this area. Medical devices are important for transforming health outcomes, and our top priority for the Life Sciences sector in the negotiations is to protect the safety of patients and ensure the integrity of cross-European public health systems. After the European Union referendum, the UK EU Life Sciences Steering Group was established to oversee a programme of work that is informing our departure from the EU. The group’s remit includes people and skills; research and grants; intellectual property; regulation and trade, manufacturing and supply - to organisations including the National Health Service. Regarding potential transposition of any changes in EU law, the general approach taken in the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill is that EU law which applies directly in the UK legal system immediately before exit will be converted into domestic law after exit. The purpose of the Bill is to provide a functioning statute book on the day we leave the EU, and it is designed to ensure that the United Kingdom exits the EU with certainty, continuity and control. After we leave the EU, Parliament will be free to change the law where it decides it is right to do so. In the negotiations the Government will discuss with the EU and Member States how best to continue to cooperate. We start from the position of having an aligned regulatory partnership and any changes should consider the impact on patient and public health. However, we appreciate that this is a negotiation, so we are prepared for all eventualities. Whatever the outcome we will protect the best interests of patients and the NHS.

Incinerators: Health Hazards

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the research on the effect of incineration on health commissioned by his Department and being undertaken by Imperial College, is expected to report.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) funds the Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU) at Imperial College London and the Environmental Research Group at King’s College London. Both groups are part of the Medical Research Council-PHE Centre for Environment and Health and carry out studies to extend the evidence base regarding whether emissions from modern municipal waste incinerators affect human health. It is expected that papers from the project will be submitted by SAHSU to peer reviewed journals later this year, and that the papers are likely to be published a few months after submission. PHE’s existing position that well run and regulated modern municipal waste incinerators are not a significant risk to public health remains valid.

Eylea: Macular Degeneration

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Lars Bruening, Bayer UK and Ireland CEO, as a result of the recognition by NICE of the merits of using Eylea to treat myopic choroidal neovascularisation.

Steve Brine: No Ministerial discussions have taken place. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing guidance on the use of Eylea for the treatment of myopic choroidal neovascularisation. NICE has published draft guidance that recommends use of the drug subject to a patient access scheme that makes the drug available to the National Health Service at a discounted price. NICE expects to publish final guidance this November. This is the first drug to be appraised through NICE’s new fast track appraisal process for treatments that can clearly demonstrate cost-effectiveness. Should the guidance remain unchanged, the NHS is committed to funding the treatment 30 days after NICE’s final guidance is published.

Nurses: Recruitment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to encourage and incentivise people to take up nursing.

Mr Philip Dunne: On 1 August 2017 the Government changed the education funding system for nursing students. The move to bring the funding of pre-registration nursing degrees into line with other undergraduate courses, through the student support system, removed the ‘cap’ which fixed an envelope of Government funding for fees and bursaries. Nursing students now have access to the standard student support system. This change will mean that students will typically receive around 25% more up front living cost support whilst studying than on the bursary system. In addition students will have access to non repayable grants for child dependents, reimbursment of travel and dual accommodation costs whilst attending clinical placements and an exceptional support fund. To facilitate expansion, additional Clinical Placement funding was announced by the Department in August and October 2017. This enables around 5,000 more nursing students to enter training each year to 2020/21, representing a 25% increase over the number of nursing students in 2016/17. Developing new routes into nursing is a priority for the Department. The Department has developed the Nursing Degree Apprenticeship and the new Nursing Associate role which will open up more opportunities to train as a nurse for those already working in the National Health Service or those for whom full-time university is not a realistic option.

Department of Health: EU Law

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's estimate is of the amount of EU legislation and regulation that can be incorporated into UK law without amendment.

Mr Philip Dunne: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert European Union law into United Kingdom law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit. This will ensure that, wherever possible, the same rules and laws will apply the day after exit as they did before. The Government is still making a detailed assessment of what corrections will be required to make that law function appropriately on exit day. The Department for Exiting the European Union are working closely with departments across Government to ensure we make the changes required to deliver a functioning statute book on exit in the most efficient manner possible.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people living with HIV were accessing HIV medicines in (a) England, (b) each parliamentary constituency, (c) each clinical commissioning group and (d) each local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish data on the uptake of HIV medicine by drug name in (a) England, (b) each parliamentary constituency, (c) each clinical commissioning group and (d) each local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish data on the average period of time between a diagnosis of HIV and initiation on antiretroviral therapy in (a) England, (b) each parliamentary constituency, (c) each clinical commissioning group and (d) each local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people living with HIV received treatment at each HIV clinic in England in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish data on the number of people accessing HIV treatment by ethnicity in (a) England, (b) each parliamentary constituency, (c) each clinical commissioning group and (d) each local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Steve Brine: There were 81,240 people in England accessing the HIV medicine antiretroviral therapy in 2016. Data on people accessing HIV medicine is not available at parliamentary constituency, clinical commissioning group or local authority level. Data on the uptake of HIV medicine by: drug name; average period of time between a diagnosis of HIV and initiation on antiretroviral therapy; number of people accessing HIV treatment by ethnicity and number of people living with HIV received treatment at each HIV clinic in England are not available in the format requested.

Transplant Surgery: Stem Cells

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that all stem cell transplant patients receive adequate care and support after treatment.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Manual for Prescribed Specialised Services describes which elements of specialised services are commissioned by NHS England and which are commissioned by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs):https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/prescribed-specialised-services-manual-2.pdfNHS England is responsible for commissioning and funding the transplant related care which takes place 30 days before transplant and continues until 100 days post-transplant. After 100 days post-transplant, commissioning responsibility for the routine follow-up of patients switches from NHS England to CCGs, as outlined in the Manual. In the event that transplant patients experience serious complications post-transplant, elements of their care would likely continue to be planned, organised and funded by NHS England specialised commissioning. For example, if a patient requires Extracorporeal Photophersis, which is a treatment for acute and chronic graft versus host disease following transplantation, NHS England commissions this care post-transplant. NHS England’s work in supporting the roll out of the Recovery Package for cancer patients, including those who received blood and marrow transplants, helps ensure patients have more personal care and support from the point they are diagnosed and once treatment ends. For patients this means working with their care team to develop a comprehensive plan outlining not only their physical needs, but also additional support, such as help at home or financial advice. By 2020 NHS England wants all cancer patients to have access to the Recovery Package.

Transplant Surgery: Stem Cells

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the suitability of current commissioning arrangements for services provided to patients after a stem cell transplant.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Manual for Prescribed Specialised Services describes which elements of specialised services are commissioned by NHS England and which are commissioned by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs):https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/prescribed-specialised-services-manual-2.pdfNHS England is responsible for commissioning and funding the transplant related care which takes place 30 days before transplant and continues until 100 days post-transplant. After 100 days post-transplant, commissioning responsibility for the routine follow-up of patients switches from NHS England to CCGs, as outlined in the Manual. In the event that transplant patients experience serious complications post-transplant, elements of their care would likely continue to be planned, organised and funded by NHS England specialised commissioning. For example, if a patient requires Extracorporeal Photophersis, which is a treatment for acute and chronic graft versus host disease following transplantation, NHS England commissions this care post-transplant. There are no current plans to review the responsibilities of services commissioned by NHS England and CCGs for blood and marrow transplantation (BMT). However, NHS England will be assessing BMT in more detail over the next 18 months and will take the opportunity to further support improved pathway planning and commissioning of services that it and CCGs fund.

Health Services: Trade Fairs

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on journalists attending the NHS Health and Care Innovation Expo.

Steve Brine: The NHS Health and Care Innovation Expo is organised by NHS England, who provide a number of complimentary passes. Decisions on which journalists are provided with those passes are for NHS England. The Secretary of State does not have a policy on which journalists attend the NHS Health and Care Innovation Expo.

Locums: Greater London

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent by the NHS on locum doctors in each local authority in London in each of the last 12 months.

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how long on average it has taken to fill a vacant GP post in every (a) local authority and (b) constituency in London in each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: NHS England does not collect centralised data on the average time to fill general practitioner (GP) vacancies, which varies significantly depending on area.Clinical commissioning groups are currently working on strategies and plans to address recruitment issues which will vary from area to area. These plans will be reflective of the General Practice Forward View and national initiatives to support recruitment and retention.Information on spending on locum doctors is not held centrally. GPs are independent contractors who have discretion on the number and type of staff they employ in their practices to assist in the delivery of primary medical services.

General Practitioners: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the number of GPs in Enfield; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: NHS England, Health Education England (HEE) and the Department have been working together to increase the general practitioner (GP) workforce and support recruitment in areas where this has been identified as a challenge. The General Practice Forward View, published in April 2016, set out investment of an extra £2.4 billion a year by 2020/21 to support and grow general practice services. At the Royal College of General Practitioners conference on 12 October 2017, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced the extension of the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme which funds a £20,000 salary supplement to attract GP trainees to work in areas of the country where GP training places have been unfilled for a number of years. HEE are currently deciding the allocation of up to a further 200 training places for 2018. In addition to the national campaigns to increase the number of GPs, Enfield Clinical Commissioning Group is undertaking specific work to increase GP numbers within their area by working with NHS London and North Central London recruitment initiatives and continuing with its well established Vocational Training Scheme to train GPs locally and retain them in local practices.

Ambulance Services: Public Sector

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of ambulances is currently provided by the public sector.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many ambulances in operation across England are more than (a) two, (b) five and (c) 10 years old.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many ambulances were in operation across England in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally.

Health Services: Repairs and Maintenance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the NHS high-risk maintenance backlog to be remedied.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department collects data on backlog maintenance (the estimated costs of eradicating all backlog maintenance to bring the estate and facilities to an appropriate standard for quality and safety) annually from National Health Service trusts through its Estates Returns Information Collection. This data is submitted by NHS providers who are responsible for assessing their own backlog maintenance and then assuring the quality of their own returns. It can be found at:http://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB30096Local NHS organisations are responsible for managing their own estate and ensuring they provide an environment that facilitates the delivery of high quality, safe care. This includes planning and investment to tackle high risk maintenance requirements. NHS providers receive funding through the NHS national tariff payment system and from other sources which enables them to undertake capital investment in their estate and in 2016-17 NHS providers made capital investment of around £1.6 billion in their land and buildings and as well as over £800 million for plants and machinery such as generators.

Cancer: Palliative Care

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to improve the management of pain, including the use of fentanyl, for cancer patients.

Steve Brine: NHS England is committed to transforming cancer services across the country and ensuring every patient has access to the care and treatment they need. The management of pain through drugs such as fentanyl is a clinical decision and should be considered on an individual basis, in line with patients’ clinical needs and in line with guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the economic impact assessment of introducing charges to non-UK citizens for using NHS services.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) health inequalities and (b) public health and prevention of introducing charges to non-UK citizens using the NHS.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the effect of extending NHS charges to community services on the health of vulnerable groups including pregnant women and children who are not entitled to free health care services.

Mr Philip Dunne: All National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts in England already have a statutory responsibility to make and recover charges from patients who are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and are chargeable for their healthcare. Following a detailed public consultation that ran from December 2015 to March 2016, the Government set out in its response to that consultation in February 2017 that it intended to amend the existing Charging Regulations, alongside a published impact assessment. Over the course of the consultation and decision-making process the Government carefully considered the impact the changes may have on public health, health inequalities and on vulnerable groups, which included children and individuals in receipt of maternity services. The Secretary of State has a continuing duty to consider the impact of policies on equality issues and so this will remain under review. The amendment regulations maintain the existing exemptions in place for the purposes of protecting the public’s health and do not change our position of ensuring that the most vulnerable have access to free healthcare. This includes children looked after by a local authority. The requirement for upfront charging will not apply in the case of treatment that clinicians consider immediately necessary, or otherwise urgent (such that it cannot wait until the overseas visitor can reasonably be expected to return home). This means that chargeable overseas visitors will never have immediately necessary treatment, or urgent treatment withheld or delayed pending payment. All maternity services continue to be considered urgent or immediately necessary and so will never be denied.

Drugs: Procurement

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations has he received from the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee on single wholesaler distribution of pharmaceutical medicines and medical supplies.

Steve Brine: Single wholesale distribution models have been discussed with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee on several occasions and we continue the dialogue when issues are raised.

Drugs: Procurement

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has he made of whether single wholesaler distribution of medicines and medical supplies offers value for money for patients.

Steve Brine: The Department has not made such an assessment. However, the Office of Fair Trading reported in 2007 that these sorts of distribution models may have efficiency benefits and took a view that manufacturers should be free to choose the distribution method they consider to be most efficient.

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to assist the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust since it has been placed into special measures.

Mr Philip Dunne: This is a matter for NHS Improvement. Special Measures for Quality is a targeted and time-limited regime agreed between the Care Quality Commission and NHS Improvement. We have been advised by NHS Improvement that a range of support has already been provided to Royal Cornwall Hospitals National Health Service Trust, including an Improvement Director to support the Trust in the development of an overarching improvement plan; buddying arrangements with the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust to provide peer executive support and improvement expertise; as well as a range of other clinical improvement activities. There is national dedicated funding available to any trust that is placed in Special Measures for Quality. Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust will have full access to this resource to support improvement activities.

NHS: Crimes of Violence

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information (a) his Department, (b) NHS England and (c) arms-length bodies collect on the number of reported physical assaults on NHS staff.

Mr Philip Dunne: The NHS Staff Survey is used by the Department, NHS England and arm’s-length bodies to collect information on the percentage of staff experiencing physical violence from patients, relatives or the public in the last 12 months, the percentage of staff experiencing physical violence from staff in the last 12 months and the percentage of staff/colleagues reporting their most recent experience of violence. Working with their security staff, the Police and Crown Prosecution Service, employers are responsible for reducing the likelihood of staff being attacked and taking appropriate action against those assaulting their staff. Trusts can use the NHS Staff Survey to benchmark progress against their peers and help them review their plans for tackling violence against their staff. In 2016 (the latest NHS Staff Survey data available), 15% of staff reported they experienced physical violence from patients, relatives or members of the public in the last 12 months, a proportion which has remained static since 2012. In contrast, nearly all staff who participated in the survey reported that they have never experienced violence from a colleague (98%) or their manager (99%) in the last 12 months. From 2012 - 2016, the NHS Staff Survey has shown: 20122013201420152016Percentage of staff experiencing physical violence from patients, relatives or the public in the last 12 months14.9%14.9%14.6%14.8%14.9%Percentage of staff experiencing physical violence from staff in the last 12 months2.7%2.7%2.7%2.0%2.0%Of those experiencing physical violence, the percentage of them or their colleagues reporting the incident has remained broadly similar since 201273.8%72.6%72.3%71.6%72.0%

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the minimum waiting time for elective surgery; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's policy is on clinical commissioning groups introducing minimum waiting times for elective surgery.

Mr Philip Dunne: The NHS Constitution outlines that patients have a right to start consultant-led treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral for non-urgent conditions. If this is not possible, the National Health Service must take all reasonable steps to offer a suitable alternative provider that can treat them sooner, if this is clinically appropriate and it is what the patient wants. Clinical priority is the main determinant of when patients should be treated followed by the chronological order of when they were added to the list. Clinicians should make decisions about patients’ treatment and patients should not experience undue delay at any stage of their referral, diagnosis or treatment. It is for NHS commissioners and providers locally to work together to manage demand and plan sufficient capacity to maintain low waiting times.

Doctors

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the regulation, movement and education of doctors in the UK.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department is working closely with the General Medical Council, Health Education England, NHS England and others in the health and care system to understand the impact of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union on doctors in the UK.

Health Services: Private Sector

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse was of treatments provided to private patients in NHS hospitals in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Dunne: There should not be a net cost to the public purse of treating private patients. National Health Service organisations can treat private patients but only for the purpose of generating income to fund treatment of NHS patients.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Physician Associates

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to expand the role of physician associates in accident and emergency departments; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Health Education England (HEE) has doubled the numbers of Higher Education Institutes they support to offer Physician Associate (PA) training programmes across England, from 14 in 2015-16 to 29 in 2017-18. The increase in Physicians Associate training places is intended to provide a material difference of PAs available to support emergency departments. It is estimated that there are over 360 qualified PAs working across the United Kingdom, approximately 30% of whom are working in emergency care. Annual graduate numbers are projected to exceed 900 by 2019, bringing the total number of qualified UK PAs to more than 3,000. HEE is committed to investing in the growth of the PA workforce. As numbers of PAs increase HEE will monitor how many choose to work in emergency medicine and look at recruitment and retention models for PAs across the system. HEE will work to ensure that the proportion of newly qualified PAs currently entering emergency medicine is at least maintained and that emergency care remains an attractive option for PAs in the longer term. On 12 October 2017, the Department launched a consultation on the regulation of four medical associate professions, including PAs.

Health Services: Children

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding from the public purse for children's health services, as a proportion of total health services funding, is now commissioned from non-NHS providers; and how that funding is divided between (a) for profit and (b) social enterprise providers.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally. NHS England does not break the non-National Health Service spend down into categories that includes children’s services. The breakdown is, for example, acute, community which would include children’s services within the total.

Dental Services

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve information for patients who may be exempt from dental charges.

Steve Brine: The Department makes available to all National Health Service dental practices a patient leaflet which includes information on how to claim free treatment and reminds practices annually of the need to display the leaflets. Information is also set out on NHS Choices and can be found here:www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1786.aspx?CategoryID=74&SubCategoryID=742Information on NHS Choices is regularly reviewed.

Obesity: Surgery

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of denying or delaying treatment for patients requiring bariatric surgery.

Steve Brine: NHS England has not made an assessment of the cost or delaying treatment for patients requiring bariatric surgery. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population. When developing their associated commissioning policies and treatment criteria, we would expect CCGs to take into account any relevant current guidance, and consider the wider context of their actions which may include the costs incurred as a result of setting criteria which may deny or delay treatment for patients requiring bariatric surgery. Treatment decisions should always be made by doctors based on patients’ clinical needs.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that clinical commissioning groups follow National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Steve Brine: As statutory bodies, we would expect clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to take account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and best practice guidance when developing policies and treatment criteria for the services they commission. There is no formal mechanism for requiring that CCGs follow NICE guidelines. CCGs are responsible for working with their local communities to understand the needs of the local populations and make decisions about how best to commission services that meet those needs, in partnership with other local commissioners and organisations.

Obesity: Surgery

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of NICE guidance on bariatric surgery (CG189).

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued a clinical guideline on the identification, assessment and management of obesity in 2014 that makes recommendations on the use of bariatric surgery. NICE’s guideline recommends bariatric surgery as an option for people with obesity if all of the following criteria are fulfilled: - They have a body mass index of 40 kg/m2 or more, or between 35 kg/m2 and 40 kg/m2 and other significant diseases (for example, type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure) that could be improved if they lost weight;- All appropriate non-surgical measures have been tried but the person has not achieved or maintained adequate, clinically beneficial weight loss;- The person has been receiving or will receive intensive management in a tier 3 service;- The person is generally fit for anaesthesia and surgery; and- The person commits to the need for long-term follow-up.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many women were admitted to hospital with severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome following IVF treatment in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital has advised that this data is not collected centrally.

Department of Health: Telephone Services

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many 0345 telephone numbers are in use by his Department; and how much revenue has been generated by each such telephone number in each year since 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department does not use premium rate telephones lines where any accruals are made by the Department, and has not done so over the past five years.

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: EU Law

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the Government Equalities Office's estimate is of the amount of EU legislation and regulation that can be incorporated into UK law without amendment.

Anne Milton: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) has overall responsibility for the Civil Partnership Act 2004, the Equality Act 2006, the Equality Act 2010 and the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) 2013.The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert European Union law into UK law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit. This will ensure that, wherever possible, the same rules and laws will apply the day after exit as they did before. The Government is still making a detailed assessment of what corrections will be required to make that law function appropriately on exit day. The Department for Exiting the European Union are working closely with departments across Government, including GEO, to ensure we make the changes required to deliver a functioning statute book on exit in the most efficient manner possible.